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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



JAN IQ 



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Cleveland's Historical Readers 



VIVID SCENES 



IN 



American History 



A SERIES OF 



READERS FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS 



BOOK I 
THE PERIOD OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



BY 

HELEN m/cLEVELAND 

Author of The Beginners' Readers, I -II -III 



OV TTOAX' oAXoL TToXv 

BENJAMIN H. SANBORN & CO. 

BOSTON, U. S. A. 



PUBLISHERS' NOTE. 



After reading one of Miss Cleveland's interesting historical 
articles in the YoniJi's Companion^ we asked her to prepare some 
of the same character for a series of Historical Readers, 
giving especial attention to the more obscure incidents — yet, 
possibly, none the less interesting to a pupil — and only those 
founded on historical facts. 

The Series will contain five books, as follows : 

No. I. —The PERIOD of DISCOVERY and 

EXPLORATION. 
No. II. — The PERIOD of SETTLEMENT. 
No. Ill — The REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD. 
No. IV. —The CIVIL WAR. 
No. V. —RECENT HISTORY. 

Each book will be printed in large, clear fyPe, attractively 
bound, and furnished at a low price. 

The illustrations were designed for this book by Mr. Meynelle, 
and the costumes are absolutely correct. 

We strongly commend the articles in this book to all lovers of 
good literature. If read by the school superintendent or teacher, 
we believe the book will be put into the pupils' hands. 

24041 

Copyright, 1898, by Benjamin H. Sanborn & Co. 



F. H. GILSON COMPANY 

PRINTERS AND BOOKBINDERS 

BOSTON, U. S. A. 






cm^-1\d<^^v 



PREFACE. 



The history of America is full of picturesque interest, and 
to bring before American children scenes on which great events 
have hinged is the object of these Historical Readers. 

I have had access to many rare and quaint old books in the 
Boston libraries, and, working in so rich a field, have picked up 
many interesting things not found in the beaten path. 

Two well read persons who looked over my manuscript, 
asked me if these stories were true, and seemed inclined to 
accuse me of inventing fairy tales. 

In view of this experience, it may not be amiss to say 
that much time has been spent and great care taken, not 
only that every scene may be founded on solid fact, but that 
the atmosphere in which the facts are made to live and move 
should be created out of truthful details. For example, if a 
man is spoken of as having brown hair, there is authority for 
stating that such was the color. 

The author has been back to first sources for material, so 
far as the libraries of this country will admit, and from these 
quaint old accounts has read on to the latest authors of note. 
Facts do not change. From Columbus's own simple statements 
to John Fisk's classical English, it is the same old story. 

(3) 



Preface. 

The author feels under obligations to many writers who 
have put on vivid colors to the pictures in her own mind. Of 
these " Harris's Voyages " stand first as picture makers. Harris 
is a reporter of facts as he sees them, and his quaint directness 
is very amusing. Prescott's eloquence is stirring. Sir Arthur 
Helps is skilful in throwing sidelights, and John Fisk is always an 
inspiration. 

Dates are a fruitful subject of dispute among historians. 
The few given here are those generally agreed upon. 

Helen M. Cleveland. 
Boston^ October^ i8g8. 



(4) 



CONTENTS. 



A Boy at the Wharves 

A Hungry Chh^d 

A Tops Y-Tu RYE Y World 

The Monk and the Queen 

A Far Famed Meeting . 

A Scene on a Bridge 

Out from the Bar of Salte 

An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning 

Two Glimpses of a Great Man . 

Dancing to the God of the New WoRr.n 

A Funny Scene 

The Speech of an Indian Prince 
A New Ocean . 
A Statue of Earth 
A Visit from the Children 
The Dream City 
Entering the Dream City 
Dividing up an Empire . 
A Line of Sand 
A Garden Party in Peru 
I AM Keeping a Fast 
A Twilight Scene . 
Writing a Name — America 
(5) 



OF THE Sky God 



17 
24 
27 
32 

36 
40 

48 

53 
56 
59 

69 

72 

79 
86 
100 
105 
loS 
III 
119 
128 



VIVID SCENES IN AMERICAN HISTORY. 

BOOK I. 



A Boy at the Wharves. 

ET us wipe out four and a half centuries for 
about twenty minutes, and in this year 1456* 
take our stand on a quiet street of a beautiful 
"^ but oddly built city. 
It is built on gradually rising hills, and the arrange- 
ment of the streets suggests rows of sittings in a cir- 
cus. Lofty mountains tower behind, while below dances 
an arm of the bluest sea we ever saw. 

The land winds about this blue harbor curiously; it 
is in the form of a bended knee. 

From the water the whole place would look like a 
terraced garden. Every palace, every grand church 
and public building would stand out boldly on its 
lofty site. 

However, we are not here to see the city. 
There is an ancient city wall facing us, and just 
inside that wall is a group of houses that interest us. 



* There is dispute in regard to the date of the birth of Colum- 
bus. He was probably born in 1446 or 1447. 



8 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

In them live weavers ; and we are standing here to watch 
the home of one of them, a certain wool carder. 

The home is humble but comfortable. There is a 
little garden in the rear which extends back to the old 
wall, and the garden gate is nothing less dignified than 
the massive ancient city gate itself. 

Soon out of this house springs the personage we have 
gone back four hundred and forty-two years to see. 

" Personage ! " you exclaim ; "why, that is merely a 
dreamy-looking, tow-headed boy. There is nothing 
wonderful about this boy. His clothes are common ; 
his face is freckled ; he is no petted child of wealth ; 
and all he seems to be doing is to go at a gait between 
a trot and a run towards those stone wharves." 

Yes, that is all true; and it is also true that there are 
many great nobles, proud statesmen, and rich merchants 
here, who would be more of a sight at this time; but the 
world is always well supplied with such, and has long 
forgotten the special grandees of this time. We have 
turned old Time back all these centuries for no other 
purpose than to follow this freckled-faced boy to the 
wharves. 

It takes quick steps to keep up with him, and it can 
be seen at a glance that going to the wharves is no new 
occupation to the lad. In fact, he is never away from 
the water long. 

The harbor is full of small, queer looking vessels. 
There are no great steamships, and it puzzles us to 
know what those strange looking crafts are. 



A Boy at the Wharves. 9 

The boy shoots in and out among the sailors, stopping 
and Hstening eagerly to the marvelous tales they are 
telling. 

Some of their strange stories make our nineteenth 
century crowd laugh. 

These sailors look upon the sea as a fearful place. 
To their mind there is only a narrow rim of it along the 
coast of Europe and Africa. They are sure the sun 
falls into the ocean every night with a sissing noise like 
the sputter of hot iron in water. Every morning this 
same sun is lighted again by God's own messengers. 

The sky to them is a skin-like substance, which 
stretches over the flat earth as canvas stretches over a 
tent. This sky cover ends at the edges of the earth. 

The special danger of sailing is the peril of coming 
to that fearful edge-of -all-things, and being plunged into 
the great, black sea of nothing which is underneath and 
around the earth, and which is guarded by monsters of 
the most terrible description. 

It will not do for us to whisper that the world is 
round and there is neither an edge where they can 
tum.ble off nor a fearful black gulf to tumble into. On 
your life, keep still. The few great men who have 
whispered it have been laughed at as senseless creatures 
or burned as heretics. 

The boy believes the tales. He has no doubt about 
the monsters and the sputtering sun. 

The maps he studies in school tell exactly the same 
story. They are maps of a little flat earth floating in a 



lo Vivid Scenes in American History. 

little sea, and around this rim-like sea is a black part 
which extends to the edge of the map and represents 
the sea of darkness. In this sea of darkne"ss are 
monsters, and the things keep a strong guard about the 
edge of the world. 

Do not begin to look superior, you boys with fine 
geographies, accurate maps, and globes. Few of you 
will ever know as much of land and sea as this boy who 
is learning false geography from ignorant sailors. 

There are other tales beside the dangers of that 
dreadful tumbling-off-place. 

The sailors never tire of telling about a certain Marco 
Polo* who visited a marvelous country. There were 
twelve hundred great cities along its coast, and all very 
rich and grand. 

A city called Quinsai (Q?iiji'si) has streets paved with 
gold; the roofs of the houses are of ornamented gold ; 
innumerable bridges span streets of great width. There 
are many market places, miles in circumference and 
splendid in design. There are palatial feast halls with 
groves and gardens where all can go for pleasure. So 
rich and luxurious are the people of this city that part 
of every day is given to amusement. There are char- 
iots of gold, boats and barges lined with silk ; but the 
most magnificent thing in all this splendid city is the 
palace of the khan or emperor. 

It is of purest marble. The roof is of gold, shaped 



* Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler. He reported wonderful 
things that he had seen, and inspired travel and adventure by his 
writings. 



A Boy at the Wharves. 1 1 

by skilled hands into beautiful designs. This great 
roof is supported by thousands of pillars of pure gold. 
Miles of groves and gardens, terraces and fountains, lakes 
and lawns, surround the courts of this sumptuous abode. 

This city is in the province of Mangi, and there is 
another called Cathay (China). 

The blue eyes of the boy glow as he listens to stories 
of these splendid cities. He hears that the rich and luxu- 
rious people who inhabit them are idolaters, and it will be 
a service to God to capture them and take their wealth. 

"When he is a man he will find Cathay; he will 
sail boldly around Africa, and, never fearing the perilous 
edge and its awful monsters, will go to this marvelous 
country in a ship." 

Now he hies him home to spell out still more marvels 
in a book called " Imago Mundi." He takes his funny 
little map of the world and looks at the narrow rim of 
ocean. Yes, it is wide enough. He will sail around 
Africa on that river,* and he will find the land of splen- 
dor and spice. 

We leave the dreamy boy. Back through the cen- 
turies we go. Swift steamships carry us over vast seas, 
sailed first by him in one of those small, frail ships. A 
country far grander than Cathay welcomes us to free 
soil ; and, glorying in our New World, we realize what it 
meant to all mankind when little Christopher Columbus 
listened to the tales of ignorant sailors in the harbor of 
Genoa. 



* The ancients thought the ocean a narrow river, which flowed 
around the world. 



^ 



A Hungry Child. 

y HEY are a strange pair, this white-haired man of 
^ tall and massive frame, and this little boy whose 
features have not yet brushed off the bloom of 
early childhood. 

Poverty's marks are plain, and there is a homeless air 
about them which tells its story. 

This venerable-appearing man is not leading the boy 
out for a pleasant walk. They are wayfarers, and the 
highway is their present home. 

The boy's hand is clasped close in his father's, but 
that protection is about all the little fellow gets. This 
tall father is too absorbed in thought to be a comrade to 
his child. 

Indeed, he clasps a roll of charts in the other hand 
with quite as much concern as he takes the hand of 
his son. 

The tramp has been a long, hard one. Little legs 
are tired ; little feet begin to lag ; a little arm begins to 
pull; and a small, shrill voice demands food and rest, 
with all the imperiousness of childhood. 

The father soothes the boy, and, pointing to the white 
wall of an ancient convent on the hill, says: 



A Hungry Child. 13 

'' Be patient, Diego. Do you see that large, white build- 
ing among the pines up there ? That is the convent of 
La Rabida (^La Rab'-i-da). We will ask the good friars 
for food." 

Up the steep hill the footsore wayfarers climb; and 
as the sad-faced man knocks at the convent gate, a 
brown-garbed Franciscan monk also seeks admittance. 

Ah, old Fate knows her business ! Any good father 
in this convent will minister to these wayfarers, but few 
of them will interrupt their peaceful meditations by giv- 
ing the pair a second thought. 

That humble Franciscan robe, however, covers no 
common monk. The hooded friar is none other than 
Juan Perez de Marchena {J?i-an' da Mar-kee'-na), the 
learned guardian of La Rabida, a great as well as a 
good man. 

A beggar stands before him, and beggars are common 
at La Rabida. Why does not the prior pass on, and let 
food and drink be given by some humbler monk } 

Does a certain old story about entertaining angels 
unawares cross his mind 1 Does some prophetic whis- 
per tell him that this beggar is destined to keep La 
Rabida in the world's eye forever? Each crumbling 
stone and worm-eaten piece of wood shall be restored 
because the nations of the earth are grateful for the shel- 
ter it afforded him. People of all lands will visit it as a 
shrine. It will become one of the monuments of the 
world because of this heartbroken-appearing man who 
came to its gate to ask bread for his child. 



14 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Does the monk suspect that at this insignificant mo- 
ment he is facing the opportunity of his own hfe ? Does 
he know that he is about to make his own name immor- 
tal by what seems a simple act of kindness ? 

No, none of these things move Friar Perez (^Pa-ray). 
The good monk is no mean judge of his fellow-creatures, 
and the swift thought flashes through his mind, "This is 
no common man." An act follows the thought that shall 
be told and retold until it becomes one of the legends 
of ages and the property of all humanity. It is a simple 
act. The prior invites the stranger into the convent, 
and begins to question him about his life. 

This life is full of strange interest, but the part which 
chains the attention of the listening monk is steeped in 
disappointment. 

The roll of maps is untied, and the gloomy face of the 
stranger becomes full of glow and enthusiasm when he 
finds that he is talking to a man who can understand 
him. 

He goes over proofs of the sphericity of the earth; he 
explains his theory of crossing the ocean to find land, 
probably golden-paved Cathay; and then maps are put 
aside, and the tale of his efforts to find help in his under- 
taking is poured into sympathetic ears. 

There has been years of waiting in anterooms of 
kings ; there has been eighteen years of rebuff. This 
court and that have scorned the theories of an humble 
mariner; sages have laughed at them; and now, after 
seven years of waiting at the court of Spain, he despairs 



A Hungry Child. 15 

of obtaining a hearing before the king and queen of 
Spain, and is about to leave the country. He will go 
to France and try his last chance there. 

The bright intellect of Juan Perez is fired by these 
stories. Skilled in the lore of the ancients, and ac- 
quainted with the newer theories concerning the earth, 
he does not doubt the correctness of this sailor's conclu- 
sions. That the glory of giving all this to the world 
should be lost to Spain, disturbs him much. It must 
not be. The great monk does not hesitate. 

" Stay with us and rest," he says. " I am Juan Perez, 
once confessor to the queen. It will be easy for me to 
gain access to her majesty, and plead your cause ; but 
first I will send for my friends, Martin Alonzo Pizon, a 
rich mariner of Palos, and Dr. Gracia Fernandez {Gm'- 
sJiay-aJi Fer-nan-dcrj). They are well skilled in geogra- 
phy; and if they agree with you about land on the other 
side of the sea, you shall not leave Spain until you have 
laid your plans before her majesty."* 



* Columbus was about to leave Spain. He had tried for seven 
years to get a hearing at court, but the king and queen were too 
busy with war to attend to a wandering mariner. The sages of 
Salamanca had reported against his theories, and advised the 
king and queen to have nothing to do with him. 

In despair, he was going to Palos, about three miles from La 
Rabida, hoping to get employment on board a ship bound for 
France. He stopped at La Rabida to beg food for his child. 

Prior Juan Perez happened to meet him at the convent gate, and, 
struck by his unusual appearance, invited him in, introduced him 
to Martin Alonzo Pizon and Dr. Gracia Fernandez, and then the 
good monk was instrumental in gaining Columbus an audience 



1 6 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Little Diego i^Di-e-go) Columbus was probably uncon- 
cerned when Martin Alonzo Pizon i^Pe-zon) and Dr. 
Gracia Fernandez declared they did agree with the 
wandering mariner; but what results will follow that 
childish request for food and drink ! It turns the tide 
in the life of his gifted father ; it changes the purpose of 
a nation ; geography, science, and history will put on a 
new face; and new nations will rise with new ideas. 

La Rabida is now forever famous, and Juan Perez will 
be known through ages as the man who kept Columbus 
in Spain. 



with Isabella. If the child had not begged for food, Columbus 
might have left Spain forever, and the history of the world 
changed. 




Convent of ^Ah/r/i m««(« oe RabiO*. 



\ 



A Topsy-Turvy World. 

y HE streets of Salamanca are steep and crooked, 
^ but massive buildings line them. 

It is the favorite city of Queen Isabella. Her 

^" pride is not in the splendor of the royal palace, 
nor in the stately public buildings. The queen's eye 
wanders lovingly to the group of buildings surrounding 
the cathedral. The pet of her reign is housed in them, 
the famous University of Salamanca. 

It is a winter day in this quaint, rich city, and about 
the year 1487. Fun-lovers among the seventeen thou- 
sand students of the university are joking about a coun- 
cil which begins its session in that institution today. 

Laughingly these youths exclaim, " They are going 
to prove that the world is round with a topsy-turvy side, 
inhabited by a topsy-turvy people ! " Jesting thus, they 
hang around to see the topsy-turvy man who is the cause 
of all this debate. 

The man these curious students are anxious to catch 
a glimpse of is lodged on a little farm about three miles 
from the city. This farm is the property of the monks 
of St. Stephen's Convent, and he is the guest of those 
distinguished teachers in the university. 



1 8 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Here he comes ! A tall, gray-haired man, with ruddy 
face and absorbed air. His hands are full of globes and 
charts. There is something unusual in his appearance. 
The frivolous might take him for a visionary, and the 
young men are not surprised that he is called ''the mad- 
man from Genoa." 

St. Stephen's Convent is the handsomest building of 
the university. It is carved and arched, and the mate- 
rial is exquisite creamy marble. 

The interior is solid and richly ornamented, but 
gloomy. The hall to which the assembly* has gone is 
dimly lighted, and gives a general impression of cold 
stone and polished wood. 

The white and black gowns of the Dominican friars 
accord well with the severe and frigid elegance of the 
hall. Nothing soft and warm greets our glance, except 
the red robe of a cardinal and rich apparel of bishops 
and gold lace of court officials. These fairly fiame in 
the colorless room. 

Well to the front is a little table. On it is a crude, 
hand-made globe, with maps and charts. 

Near the table, and directly facing the monks of St. 



* King Ferdinand ordered a council of learned men to investi- 
gate the theories of Columbus. The council was held in the convent 
of St. Stephen, part of the University of Salamanca ; and the 
monks entertained Columbus at their farm, about three miles from 
the city. Many brilliant men were won, but the majority reported 
against Columbus and his schemes. King Ferdinand was less bril- 
liant than Isabella, and appears to have been more influenced by 
this decision than the queen. 



A Topsy-Turvy World. 19 

Stephen's, is the visionary-looking man. His dress is 
careless. The great number of cold, learned eyes turned 
critically, if not contemptuously, on him, are unheeded. 
Thought holds complete sway over him at this hour. 
The icy atmosphere of authoritative knowledge does not 
chill the white heat of this untrammeled mind. He is 
about to bring tumult into the peace of monastic learn- 
ing. These sages must investigate his theories ])y direct 
command of the king and queen. 

From place to place this foreign sailor has followed 
Ferdinand and Isabella. He has declared that the earth 
is a sphere ; he knows that he can sail directly west, find 
rich Cathay, and make Spain roll in gold and glory. 

Spain wants to roll in gold, and she would not mind 
the glory. If this Columbus is anything but a crazy, 
wandering sailor, the king and queen would like to 
know it. 

No insignificant body of men are to discuss this 
strange foreigner's theories. 

Here are the friars of St. Stephen's, at this time said 
to be the most learned body of men in the world. Great 
mathematicians, heads of learned societies, and distin- 
guished geographers have come from all parts of Spain. 
All present and past professors of the university take 
part. Such men as Diego de Deza {Dar.a), first profes- 
sor of theology in this institution, add the luster of their 
brilliant intellects, while practical statesmen and great 
church officials complete a most notable gathering of 
men. 



20 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

The simple mariner is politely treated ; and if he 
were looking for support and sympathy, he could hnd 
it. Among many cold, distrustful faces are kind ones 
who do not think him a presumptuous adventurer. 

When he rises to speak, cultured ears hear a careless 
foreign accent. Poor looks this sailor, but still not hum- 
ble. His white hair falls without restraint over his 
broad shoulders, and his blue-gray eyes are large and 
flash with the fire of thought. Nature has invested him 
with a dignity of appearance which neither king nor 
learned body can ignore. There is not enough of the 
saint in his face to suit some of those good friars. They 
see the power, but little of the sweetness of heaven, in 
that bold, determined countenance. Who can blame 
them for being slow to believe the tremendous changes 
he advocates ? 

Only the friars of St. Stephen's pay attention as he 
takes a globe and shows that any body disappearing on 
a sphere disappears part at a time, and calls their atten- 
tion to the fact that a ship disappears on the earth in 
exactly that way. 

Others begin to attend when he proves that only a 
spherical body casts a circular shadow in all positions, 
and then calls their attention to the shape of the earth's 
shadow on the moon. Eloquent he grows as he puts 
aside map and globe, and begins to recite theories of an- 
cient philosophers who believed the earth to be a sphere. 
He tells them that west of the Atlantic there must be 
land, and declares that nothing will hinder sailing directly 
to it. 



A Topsy-Turvy World. 21 

Some of the brightest minds present are convinced ; 
but among those slower to see, tumult begins. 

" Do you believe that people inhabit the other side of 
this sphere ? '' 

"Yes," answers Columbus. 

"Listen ! " thunders his opposer, ''and hear how you 
are opposing the great fathers of the church"; then tak- 
ing a book, he reads : 

"Is there any one so foolish as to believe that there are antipo- 
des (things directly opposite), with feet opposite ours — people 
who walk with their heels upward and their heads hanging down? 
That there is part of the world in which all things are topsy- 
turvy ; where the trees grow with their branches downward ; and 
where it rains, hails, and snows upward ? The idea of the round- 
ness of the earth was the cause of inventing this fable of the 
antipodes, with their heels in the air." 

Others read from Psalms that the heavens extend like 
a hide or tent over the earth. Still others quote St. 
Paul, when he compared the heavens to a tent or taber- 
nacle extending over the earth, and argue that the 
earth must be flat ; for how could the sky stretch over 
a sphere ? 

Text after text is hurled at the daring man, who is 
afraid of being suspected of heresy, and replies that his 
" reverence for the Bible and the learned fathers of the 
church is most profound ; but he maintains that they 
wrote as theologians, not as scientific men, and the lan- 
guage of the Bible is figurative." 

We may be siu-e he was sharply reproved for this; but 
do not call these good monks stupid. It is a tremen- 



22 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

clous jump from a flat to a round world, and, ignorant 
of many things we know now, who of us would have 
taken the leap ? 

The greatest theologian present, Diego de Deza, agrees 
with the practical, unschooled sailor; and Cardinal Men- 
doza {Men-do-::a), strong in church and state, one of the 
clearest-headed men in Spain, is also convinced. Be- 
sides these brilliant lights of the church, a fair minority 
of scientists and learned friars are on the side of the 
humble pleader for truth. 

One scientific member admits that the earth is per- 
haps a sphere, and acknowledges that possibly there is 
an opposite side which is inhabited, but asserts with all 
solemnity that scientific research proves the impossi- 
bility of going there on account of the unsupportable 
heat of the torrid zone. 

Columbus in vain tells this man that he has sailed 
past the torrid zone. The man still shakes his head. 
No matter if he has done it, science has proved that it 

cannot be done. 

Another scientist says, "The circumference of the earth 
must be so great that it would take three years to make 
the voyage, and provisions could not be carried. All 
would perish with hunger." 

An old Greek belief is brought up. " If a ship could 
sail west on a spherical earth, and reach the extremity 
of India, she could never get back; for the rotundity of 
the earth would present a mountain it would be impos- 
sible to sail over." 



A Topsy-Turvy World, 



23 



Centuries have brushed aside the fears of the good 
monks, and the assured knowledge of those scientists 
is mere foolish guesswork today. There is much to 
learn from this debate. Knowledge has soared into 
higher regions, and is more firmly placed ; but this wide 
gulf between the past and present hints that we be 
humble. There are heights yet to scale. 



Note. — The monks of St. Stephen were scientific enough to 
regard the theories of Cokimbus with respect. They represented 
the scientific, rather than the Hterary, department of the university ; 
and the head of this department was the one who proposed that 
St. Stephen's entertain Columbus at their httle farm a short distance 
from the city. Columbus lived there through the winter, and came 
into the city whenever the assembly met. It is said that this part 
of his life v/as a happy, quiet one, and that he enjoyed it im- 
mensely. 



n 



A 



•gMMi- 



Monument at La Rabida 

Which Marks the Spot Where Columbus 

Begged Bread for His Child. 



The Monk and the Queen. 

TRAVELERS over the beaten highway between 
Palos and Santa Fe have passed a brown-robed 
monk jogging along on a mule. 
Some have glanced at him in wonder, as it is 
dangerous for officials of the Christian church to ride 
like this alone, through the very scenes of the Moorish 
conflict. 

As he nears the mountain fastnesses of Granada the 
peril increases, and some venture to stop and warn the 
kindly monk ; but with a courtly bow of thanks he se- 
renely jogs on his way. 

Night does not always bring a place for rest and shel- 
ter. Weird specks of moonlight have danced along the 
wild, hilly roads, over the monk and mule, and seemed 
to surround them with somber loneliness. 

However, he is not lonely in these night rides. His 
heart is singing over a dream that his brain is fashion- 
ing. It is a dream of a great, new world. 

Another day finds the monk in the city of Santa Fe, 
the camp city of the king and queen of Spain. Three 
months ago soldiers were turned into masons, to build 
this army capital of stone and mortar; and now their 



The Monk and the Queen. 25 

beloved queen can be near her army, without the dis- 
comfort of hving in a tent ; and if Granada does not fall 
soon, here are winter quarters for the army. 

This is the new city which Juan Perez enters to plead 
the cause of a new world. 

There is no court robe for the monk to don, before he 
can see the queen. She does not array herself in state 
to give audience to her former confessor. In the plain 
garb of his order, Friar Perez asks admittance to Isa- 
bella ; and the woman, rather than the queen, sends for 
him without ceremony. 

We see this brilliant princess kneel for a blessing. 
We hear her say, ''You have risked much to come 
to us." 

We hear the monk congratulate her on conquests that 
will drive infidels from Spain, and plant the cross on 
every part of it ; and then he begins the story he has 
come to tell. 

Eloquent are the lips which plead for the stranger at 
La Rabida, and clear the explanations of his theory and 
his schemes. 

" Shall Columbus be allowed to leave Spain in despair.-^ 
Shall not only vast wealth and great glory be allowed 
to slip from the nation's hand, but shall this golden 
opportunity — the opportunity to carry the religion of 
Christ to heathen Cathay and India — be lost .?" 

The thoughtful blue eyes of the queen have been 
fixed with deep attention on the monk; and as he stirs 
her patriotism and her piety, they meet his own with 
answering fire. 



26 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

**We are deeply grateful to you, Father Perez; Colum- 
bus shall not go. I will send money * to enable him to 
appear at court, and you may tell him that Isabella com- 
mands his presence." 

The benignant face of the friar is joyful. He is well 
repaid for his dangerous journey. He knows he has 
helped a man, and hopes he has helped his country; but 
Juan Perez little dreams of the millions yet unborn who 
will bless his act. 

Notes. — Accounts vary as to whether Columbus had known 
Juan Perez before. A few writers claim that he went to La 
Rabida with the purpose of interesting the priest in his scheme ; 
but there is no proof of this. All legends seem to make the meet- 
ing accidental, and Columbus ready in despair to leave Spain after 
years of waiting to get a hearing before the king and queen. 

The good priest deserves credit for patriotism as well as for 
clear-headedness in undertaking to champion a cause so unpopular. 
His journey was not an easy one in those times, and might have 
resulted in his being murdered by the Moors. 



*Juan Perez journeyed from Palos to Santa Fe, about 150 
miles, to intercede with the queen for Columbus. He was success- 
ful. The queen sent Columbus about $216, to appear at court. 



A Far-Famed Meeting. 



^ I r ""WO people are to be brought face to face today. 

I '^ Time will never forget this meeting ; distance^ 
V however great, will hear of it. 

The two who meet are widely different in 
circumstance. The one is a woman, the other a man. 

There she sits upon a throne, surrounded, in her camp 
city, by the beauty and chivalry of a nation. She is 
forty-one years of age now, and a woman of surpassing 
beauty. 

This tall, fair woman, in whose face the lightning of a 
vivid intellect is softened by great sweetness, is the idol 
of proud Castile. Historians for centuries will puzzle to 
find a cause for the great love which all parts of Spain 
pour at her feet. 

Castile, Leon, and even Aragon,* have just one bond 



* Isabella was by birthright queen of Castile and Leon, which 
comprised a large part of what is now Spain. Ferdinand was king 
of Aragon, a small section in the eastern part of Spain. When 
they married, the countries were united, and the king and queen 
ruled as allied sovereigns. All matters pertaining to both king- 
doms were decided by the two. The signature of both was put on 
all documents, and nothing was undertaken by either unless with 
the consent of the other. However, Castile and Leon were by far 



2 8 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

of unity, and that is attachment to Isabella. The love 
is intense, personal, and nothing like it has or will work 
the weal or woe of a nation in the memory of ten gener- 
ations. Statesmen trust her brain, and the people trust 
her heart. 

The army sees this dainty woman share its hardships, 
face its dangers, care for the wounded on the field of 
blood itself, and it knows she is a strong, directing power 
in council. 

They realize that not even the hand of the king is so 
potent in making every resource of the nation add to its 
glory. Is it strange that they regard her with almost 
idolatrous affection ? It is a dispirited and listless army, 
with their inspiring queen away. With her at hand to 
cheer, it marches from victory to victory; so beautiful 
Queen Isabella must not dawdle in a palace in Salamanca 
i^Sal-a-man'-cd). Ferdinand sends for her to come to 
him in the field ; and even when duty calls elsewhere, 
she goes. 



the most important parts of the nation, and they never forgot that 
Isabella was their ruler, and not Ferdinand. It was the queen her- 
self who always insisted on extreme deference to her husband. 
She was deeply loved by the whole nation. Prescott says, " She 
held a control over her people such as no man could have acquired 
in any age — and probably no woman in an age and country less 
romantic." 

She is undoubtedly one of the greatest women in history. Al- 
though great crimes are unavoidably associated with her name, to 
blame Isabella is unjust. She was the soul of the Spanish wars; 
but who holds a general accountable for the enemy that fall under 
his guns? 



A Far-Famed Meeting. 29 

There is nothing of the Amazon about this wonderful 
woman. She is soft-voiced, and modest almost to hu- 
mility. Great courtesy and dignity are combined with 
a matchless, gracious tact in her demeanor. 

Handsome, supercilious King Ferdinand is far more 
the sovereign at first glance, and the scrupulous defer- 
ence paid him by his lovely wife carries out the impres- 
sion. 

He laughs with a sneer at what she is going to do 
today. ''The man you are about to receive is an adven- 
turer, and I will have nothing to do with him," says his 
majesty. 

Not a shade of annoyance mars the calm, sweet face 
of the queen. Her voice does not vary by a single 
intonation from utmost serenity as she replies that she 
will see the man anyway. 

Courtiers smile. They are as unconcerned as the 
tactful queen about the king's remarks. They know 
full well if Isabella becomes really interested in this 
adventurer, Ferdinand will have something to do with 
him. 

The other now comes upoti the scene. He is ushered 
into the royal presence. 

His great grey eyes fall on one of the most interesting 
women in history — a woman he has tried for seven long 
years to see. 

She sees a tall man with a natural air of distinction 
about him. Years of begging for recognition at the 
courts of Europe has had its effect on his manners. 



JO Vivid Scenes in American History. 

This wandering sailor presents no mean appearance in 
a throne-room. 

Behind those blue eyes fixed so earnestly on him is a 
busy brain. The queen is a keen judge of men. She 
must measure and balance their qualities every hour of 
her life. The mental scales on which this man is being 
weighed are pretty accurate, and what they record will 
stand. 

Isabella looks, and likes Columbus. Hereafter neither 
the contempt of learned councils, nor the coldness of the 
king, will long avail to keep the great explorer and the 
woman who can help him in his undertaking from under- 
standing each other. 

As is the custom, Columbus advances, kneels, and 
kisses the hand of the queen ; and her busy majesty, 
with a gracious but hurried word of greeting, bids him 
outline his enterprise. 

He dwells little on proofs of the sphericity of the 
earth. He asserts boldly that land lies on the other 
side of the Atlantic, and he can find it and plant the 
cross of Christ in the heathen lands of Cathay. 

Subtly and eloquently the speaker appeals to the 
ambition and the piety of the great queen, and Isabella 
is won to his cause. 

" Senor Columbus," she says, "your projects interest 
me. I believe in you, and will gladly enter into nego- 
tiations with you. We would esteem it a crowning honor 
to lift the banner of our Lord over all the earth, as we 
have raised it over every Moorish stronghold in Spain, 



A Far-Famed Meeting. 31 

A council will be appointed to arrange with you." With 
a gracious bow this genuine queen dismisses the future 
finder of a world. She has greatly honored this humble 
sailor, but he is to honor her far more. 

He leaves her presence, happy that at last he stands 
well in the judgment of one pow^erful enough to help 
him. That judgment is to be attacked. Statesmen 
report that this Italian adventurer demands too much. 
There is no coming to terms with him ; but, although she 
will be pulled this way and that by arguments of policy 
and reason, that judgment shall stand, and Isabella will 
associate herself with the greatest human achievement 
in history by exclaiming, " I pledge my jewels to pay 
the expenses of this undertaking!" 



Notes. — Isabella probably received Columbus with consider- 
able formality. Undoubtedly many of her court were present. 
Her first lady-in-waiting was present, and was convinced of the 
truth of the poor sailor's theories ; but many had no faith in him 
at all. 

Isabella, v/ith all her self-restraint, was at times an impulsive 
woman, Columbus touched the right cord when he appealed to 
her piety. 

She had now driven out all infidel factions from Spain. The 
Moors had been conquered. Beside the banner of Castile floated 
the cross of Christ, and it was the ambition of this queen to float 
the latter over all the world. 



A Scene on a Bridge. 

^ I J 'HIS clear, bright winter day is entitled to front 

I ^ rank among well-remembered historical days. If 

V ever a twenty-four hours should be considered 

a turning-point in political history, this one has 

that honor, yet it is not a well-known day. 

The scene which entitles it to remembrance is so sim- 
ple that the pen and the brush have never been deeply 
inspired to picture it m " colors that glow or words that 
burn." There is no wild clash of battle, no deed of 
thrilling heroism, to stir to enthusiastic description. 

The first object to get into the mind's eye in this sim- 
ple picture is a bridge over a rushing mountain river. 

Picturesque and rugged scenery surround this bridge. 
An upland plain on one side is fertile and lovely, but 
uneven, while in front the land swells into what is a base 
to the towering snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, 
wild and rocky all through this region. 

The road leading to the bridge is steep and bad even 
for a mule to travel ; but one is traveling it today that 
will be part of our picture. 

So far as the mule is concerned, he may be just like 
any other mule; but there is a man on his back who is 
far from being just like any other man. 



A Scene on a Bridge. ^^ 

That tall form with its air of distinction and the white 
hair are familiar. 

His head is bent in disappointment ; the struggle is 
not yet over; sorrow and disgust are striving for mas- 
tery in the long, sad face. 

Little note does this traveler take of the beautiful 
scenery. All the thought he vouchsafes to external 
things is to guide his mule towards the north. 

As he approaches the bridge, sounds of flying hoofs 
may be heard behind him ; but so absorbed is the strange 
man that he does not heed them. Slowly the mule jogs 
towards the bridge, and swiftly dashes the fleetest of 
horses after it. 

A call rings through the clear air, but the man on the 
mule hears it not. 

Slowly and heavily the mule's feet plant themselves 
on the bridge; but the dull thud of its tramp scarcely 
begins when the quick, sharp clank of a dashing horse 
rings beside it. 

•' Senor ! Senor Colon ! " * 

The lonely traveler hears and turns. He finds him- 
self facing a royal courier. 

* After Columbus obtained an interview with Queen Isabella, 
through the influence of Juan Perez (^Pa-ray), a new trouble arose. 
She promised to aid him, and said her agents would arrange terms. 
These agents thought Columbus demanded too much, and pro- 
nounced him an impudent adventurer. Even his best friends were 
frightened at what he asked for, and told him that he was ruining 
his cause; but he would not yield. He wanted to be admiral of the 
ocean, viceroy of countries he discovered, and have one-eighth of 
the profit. In disgust, he once again determined to leave Spain, 
and go either to England or France and try his luck. 



34 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

''A message from her majesty," says the courier, 
doffing his hat as he hands a letter to the man on 
the mule. 

Indignation blazes from the eyes of the white-haired 
man. Courtiers like this have mocked him as a mad- 
man, and he is disgusted with the indecision and intrigues 
of the court of Spain. He will not take the letter. 

*' I will obey no summons from your queen. Seven 
years of my life have been wasted attempting to get 
an audience with her." 

With these hot words he is about to go on, when the 
courier with deep respect interposes : 

"Do not go on, Senor. Santangel {^Sanf -angel) has 
convinced her majesty to consent to your terms. She 
will pledge her jewels to pay the expense of your expe- 
dition. I beg you to read this letter." 

The white-haired man takes the letter. The courier 
has spoken the truth. Queen Isabella will assent to his 
terms, and undertake the enterprise for the crown of 
Castile. There is no need now to journey to England, 



News that he had started reached some who believed in him, 
among them Luis de Santangel, treasurer of Castile, who rushed 
into the queen's presence and eloquently explained to her that he 
believed she was letting a great opportunity slip, by allowing this 
man to go. Others followed ; and Isabella convinced, exclaimed, 
" I will pledge my jewels ! " A courier was sent in all haste after 
Columbus, who overtook him at the bridge of Pinos Puentes, as 
described. 

All his terms were accepted, and the papers signed immediately. 
The queen received him with special marks of favor, and even the 
king felt compelled to be gracious. 



A Scene on a Bridge. 35 

and wait uncertain fortune at the court of Henry VII. 
His opportunity has come at last, and exultant joy takes 
the place of despondent sadness in his face. 

The mule turns round on the bridge of Pinos Puentes 
{Pe'-nos Pu-an'-ics) ; and probably not only the fortunes 
of Spain and England, but of all the countries of South 
America, turned with it. If Christopher Columbus had 
proceeded to England, Henry VII. is more than likely 
to have assisted him. In that case South America 
would have been England's, and English, instead of 
Spanish, would have been the language of her people 
now. 



Out from the Bar of Saltes.* 



j^HE little town of Palos has passed a sleepless 
^ night. 

It is Friday, August 3, 1492, and since the 23d 
of May this small port, with neighboring towns, 
has been stirred to its heart with sorrow. 

On that date the people assembled in front of St. 
George's Church to hear a royal order read. 

This decree demanded that the town should have two 
ships ready for sea within ten days. Crews and supplies 
were to be furnished for them as well as for a third, 
which a certain Christopher Columbus was authorized 
to procure. 

By royal orders these ships are to sail in such direction 
as Christopher Columbus shall command, and the crews 
are to obey him in all things. 

The town is ready to take its punishment, and aid 
its conquering king and beautiful queen ; but who is 
this Columbus ^ He stands there in full sight beside 
well-loved Friar Perez (^Pa'-ray) on the church porch. The 
man has a distinguished air. Probably he is some great 



*The Bar of Saltes {Sal-tes') was a small island in tlie harbor 
of Palos. Columbus sailed from it. 



Out from the Bar of Saltes. 37 

navigator, entrusted by the king and queen with an 
important commission. It will be an honor to go on 
a special expedition for the Crown. 

This is the serene tattle as the crowd breaks up ; but 
hush ! -— a whisper begins to wing its way from house to 
house, from street to street, and carries consternation 
in its trail. 

"This Columbus is the mad Italian who says the 
world is round, and declares that he can sail right over 
the dreadful Sea of Darkness and find Cathay! " 

''What does the queen mean by giving such a lunatic 
power to force their loved ones on his ships, and com- 
pel them to sail straight into the awful gulf below the 
tumbling-off-place ! " To ask their people to fly with 
this man to the moon would be more sensible, they 
think. 

Heavy is poor Palos's punishment. The most terri- 
ble thing in the world to them is the sea where it rolls 
beyond the sight of land. Myths of ages are told and 
groaned over in the little place. The awful monsters 
in the Great Dark Sea where the sun never shines, the 
ocean of melted fire, the mountains of water which ridge 
the edge of the world, disturb the dreams of this sea- 
girt town, and love conquers loyalty. They will not let 
their loved ones go, and other royal orders are read in 
vain to force them. 

What royalty fails to do is finally accomplished by 
two men. 

Good Friar Perez is well known in the homes of the 



38 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

humble, and he is deeply loved. From house to house 
he goes, and tells them that this Columbus is not mad. 
The convent of La Rabida i^Ra -be-da) shelters him 
now, and all the monks believe in him. No harm will 
come to their sons and husbands. Soon the good friar 
has news to add to his persuasions. 

Martin Alonzo Pizon i^Pe'-zon), the wealthiest man in 
the place, and a bold sailor, is going in one of the ships 
as captain; and his brother will command the other ship. 

Bold ones rally to the support of the Pizons, and 
adventurers from other parts of Spain come to go on 
the daring expedition ; but still men enough to man the 
ships have not enlisted. Prisoners are given their lib- 
erty on condition that they consent to go, and the num- 
ber required is raised by forcing others into the service. 

On this Friday morning mothers and sisters hasten 
to the wharves. Out in those three ships are fathers 
and sons and brothers, going, not with a hurrah, with 
joyful loyalty, but sullenly, remembering the warrant 
that was read to them, and the guard that marched 
them to the boats. The whole town and country about 
have gathered in sympathy. Few kindly glances are 
cast at Columbus as he hurries down at this sunrise 
hour to the waiting boat. 

On a little height above stands Friar Perez. Colum- 
bus steps into the boat, and, remaining at the end, bares 
and bows his head. The priest stretches out his hands 
in blessing, and asks God's protection for all. Sobs 
mingle with the prayer, and when it is finished neither 
priest nor people move. 



Out from the Bar of Saltes. • 



39 



The boat moves off. Soon it reaches the side of the 
Santa Maria, but still no one moves. 

Columbus is seen on the deck of his ship. The sig- 
nal flag is hoisted ; sails are spread ; the signal gun is 
boomed, and the little fleet sails out from the Bar of 
Saltes into the unknown sea. 

No cheer goes up; no glad "speed on." A procession 
of sobbing women and sad men turn like a funeral train 
towards the town. 



Note. — The people of Palos had done something to displease 
the government, and shrewd Ferdinand made them pay their pen- 
alty by fitting out this fleet for Columbus. As a matter of fact, 
the Crown paid very little of the expense out of the royal treasury. 
Isabella never used her jewels for this purpose. The people of 
Palos were willing to furnish ships and men until they became 
aware of the nature of the expedition. When it became known 
that, " the mad man from Genoa " was to sail straight to the west, 
into the awful abyss at the edge of the world, he was roundly 
abused ; and the sturdy sailors of this little port refused to go, even 
at the direct order of the king and queen. It took months for 
Columbus to get crews, and if it had not been for the Pizons and 
Friar Perez, it is doubtful whether he would have been able to sail. 
Martin Alonzo Pizon was the most influential man in town, and 
lived in the best house. 



An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning. 

' |sf''HE mutinous, frightened crew of lawless and 
ll^ superstitious men have gathered for evening 

|v service on Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria.* 
Prayers are read, a sweet vesper hymn floats 
over the water, and then the admiral rises to speak. He 
goes over the unmistakable signs of land which have 
appeared during the last three days — green rushes, 
a bunch of berries, land birds, shore fish, and a stick 
carved by human hands. They are nearing their jour- 
ney's end, he says, and bids them thank God who has 
brought them across the Sea of Darkness, and cautions 
them to keep a sharp lookout for land, f 

The admiral retires after this, but there is no sleep 
for that restless brain. He has reassured his sullen 
crew, but his own words mock him. 



* There were three ships in the fleet of Columbus — the Santa 
Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta. Martin Alonzo Pizon, who fur- 
nished money and men for this expedition, commanded the Pinta, 
and his brother served as pilot. 

t Columbus had much trouble with his crew. They were afraid 
of the ocean when they left home, and, believing the world to 
be flat, expected to be tumbled into a great, dark pit of monsters 
at any time. They would have compelled Columbus to turn back 
if land had not appeared soon. 



An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning. 41 

He believes, indeed, that land is near; but in his 
secret heart he knows it may not appear in time to 
satisfy his men. 

Even the stout heart of his benefactor and captain, 
Martin Alonzo Pizon, has failed ; and even he will de- 
mand a return if land does not appear soon. 

All mutiny is hushed tonight. Every eye in the fleet 
is straining forward into the darkness. Each man is 
eager for the pension* promised by the queen to the 
one who first sights land. 

Columbus is too restless for the couch. Ten o'clock 
finds him again on deck, also looking into the darkness. 
Suddenly his careless, roving eyes become true mariner's 
eyes. They pierce the darkness with a steady gaze. '' Is 
that a light out there dancing on the water .^ Yes, it 
surely is." Columbus asks a man near if he sees a 
light. "Yes," the man thinks he does. Then he calls 
Roderigo Sanchez ( San-chey), official telltale, sent by 
the sovereigns of Spain to vouch for all things reported 
by Columbus. This official comes lumbering up to the 
point of lookout, but can see no light because, to quote 
Columbus's own words, '' he did not look where it was." 

Soon a sailor in the forecastle shouts, '*A light! a 
light ! " and is informed that the admiral has seen it. 



* Queen Isabella had promised a life pension to the one who 
first sighted land. Columbus claimed it because he saw a light the 
first of all. However, this was probably not on land, but in a canoe 
on water. A sailor was the one who first saw land, and should have 
had the pension. 



42 Vivid Scenes In American History. 

Interest now waxes hot on board the Santa Maria. 
Hope has become almost surety that land lies out there, 
and all eyes are strained to catch the first glimpse. 
Columbus stands like one in a dream. " Is it really 
true ^ Has he found land on the other side of the 
Atlantic ^ Has he proved to mocking sages that this 
earth is not a little plate-like plane, floating in a small 
sea, but a great globe hanging in endless space ? Is 
Cathay, the Cathay of his boyhood dreams, out there in 
the darkness ? " Oh, night shadows, lift your black pall 
and let the golden towers of this enticing land glitter 
into longing eyes ! 

Orders are given to shorten sail, and the three ships 
proceed more slowly. 

Ship bells strike the midnight hours. Eleven o'clock ! 
the moon rises, but no phantom towers rise with it from 
the great ocean. Twelve o'clock ! the moon is playing 
on measureless waters, and all eyes are still watching. 
One o'clock ! strained eyes still pierce the moonlit sea 
in vain. Half-past one ! there is no sound except from 
the cleft waters as they glide back into softly roll- 
ing waves. Almost two o'clock ! — stop a moment ! 
The next sixty seconds must not be glided over without 
thought. These little specks of time are twisting his- 
tory into other channels. They roll off the old and usher 
in the new. Something will be known of this world 
now. The clear atmosphere of scientific truth will take 
the place of dense superstition. The grandest achieve- 
ment of mortal man has been accomplished. A new 



An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning. 43 

world has been discovered. Tyranny may begin to dig 
its grave, for the torch of Liberty is soon to be hghted. 

A boom from a lombard* on the Pinta silences the 
two strokes of the morning hour. A flag is slowly 
hoisted from her masthead. " Land ! land ! " rings from 
this little ship ahead. '' Land ! land ! " is taken up by 
the Nina behind; and the cry rolls back to the Santa 
Maria, to be rung again in Columbus's ears by his own 
joyful crew. 

There is no mistake this time. Roderigo de Triano, 
a sailor at the masthead of the Pinta, had caught the 
first glimpse of the New World. 

The ships come close together, and move slowly 
towards the black outline which to unskilled eyes looks 
like a long black cloud on the horizon. 

Still Columbus stands and watches. Gold has been 
the glittering witch which lured men to brave the dan- 
gers of this awful ocean. She floats there in the air, 
beckoning to the great explorer; and heeding this allur- 
ing tempter, he longs for the sun to rise and flash the 
gleaming splendor of Cathay f into his eyes. 

We draw the veil when daylight comes and brings no 
grand city with streets of gold. A green isle with lofty 
trees is all the hunters for the land of spice and gold 
can see. 



* Large gun. 

I Cathay was a fabled land of which Columbus had heard when 
a boy. Report said the streets of the cities of this land were 
paved with gold, and the houses were roofed with the same pre- 
cious metal. 



44 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Old Sol never crept up out of the sea to look on a 
more momentous scene. Yet it was a simple sight. 

Three boats put out from three small ships, and are 
rowed towards a little island, green to the water's edge. 

The first contains the tall grey-haired man, whose 
shifting fortunes we have followed. Not a disappointed 
wayfarer is he now. His favorite garb, the robe of a 
monk, has been put off. He is richly dressed and in 
full armor, while his rank of royal deputy is shown by 
a deep red scarf draped over his shoulders and falling 
almost to his feet. One hand is clasped about a staff, 
on which floats the banner of Castile, while the other 
rests on the hilt of his sword. 

Two similar boats carry men who should never be 
forgotten — Martin Alonzo and Vincent Pizon, captains 
of the Pinta and the Nina, but entitled to long remem- 
brance as sustainers of this expedition. 

Each carries a banner, on which a green cross and 
the initials of Ferdinand and Isabella {Ysabella), F. 
and Y., are prominent. 

Dark, naked creatures, with beardless faces and stream- 
ing hair, are running about on shore. 

It is doubtful if more surprised creatures ever existed. 
They gaze in wonder at those huge canoes with wings, 
which they saw come straight out of the sky.* It would 
probably not surprise them if a flock of heavenly beings 
should raise their white wings and fly to land from these 
sky ships. 



*A ship when first seen on the horizon seems to come out of the 
sky. 



An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning. 45 

It is soon apparent that the supposed heavenly crea- 
tures are coming in another way. They are coming in 
canoes of many paddles, and are marvelous white crea- 
tures that look much like men, with the exception of 
hair on their faces. Not a wing can the simple natives 
see, and the clothes puzzle them. 

The first boat hardly touches the sandy beach before 
impetuous Columbus draws his sword from its scabbard, 
and leaps to the land it has been the dream of his life to 
discover. With emotion too strong to be controlled, he 
prostrates himself further, and, with tears of joy stream- 
ing from his eyes, presses his lips three times to this 
precious earth. 

Every man who lands does the same. This moment 
is too solemn and has cost too much for artificial dignity 
to restrain true feeling. 

A little group immediately forms about the admiral. 
Official reporters of his every act are on one side, and 
on the other stand the Pizons. Around are grouped 
officers and crews, while fringing the outer edge are 
dark forms of the natives, who come stealing from 
neighboring bushes to see what this marvelous visita- 
tion means. 

In a clear voice Columbus calls on the officials to note 
that he takes possession of this land in the name of the 
sovereigns of Castile. He christens it San Salvador; a 
cross is planted, and then he calls on all to take the oath 
of allegiance to him as admiral and viceroy, representing 
his sovereign. 



46 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

A scene of triumph follows. Men who have plotted 
to throw this man overboard, who have scoffed at him 
as a lunatic, revere him now. His ridiculed theories 
have become actualities, and he is one of the greatest 
of men. 

Willingly they not only take the oath, but on bended 
knees affectionately beg his pardon. Then the admiral 
prays. 

Savages' heads are bowed with white ones. They 
realize that these white creatures from the sky are 
talking to the Great Spirit. All fear vanishes. These 
strange beings must mean good to them. 

When the prayer ends, they make signs to Columbus 
that they too will adore him as a god, and worship his 
men also, if it is necessary. They bring fruit and other 
food, and try every art known to their simple minds to 
propitiate these heavenly visitants. 

The food is devoured in such earthly fashion that 
the natives begin to wonder if these may not be men 
after all. 

They approach closer. They feel the clothes, pass 
their hands over the beards, and touch the white skin 
of the beautiful strangers. 

Soon bargaining begins. Bits of broken crockery, 
pieces of bright cloth, beads, and other trinkets come 
from the sailors' pockets, to the delight of the poor 
Indians, and are exchanged for birds, snakes, food, 
arrowheads, and even pieces of gold. 

When asked where they find gold, they point to the 



An Anxious Night and a Glorious Morning. 47 

When questioned about Cathay, they shake 
their dark heads. 

The golden witch still beckons. Columbus does not 
linger on this green isle. With a smile, we leave him 
inquiring for Cathay. 

The home of freedom is now waiting for its children ; 
but the daring man, whose strong will has battered down 
the wall of superstition which hid it, and who flung wide 
open the portals of a New World, does not dream that 
this little isle is the gateway of a hemisphere. 

He sails on, still hunting for old Cathay, still chasing 
the phantom of his golden dream. 



Two Glimpses of a Great Man. 

Historical Review. — Nothing was done about Cabot's dis- 
covery for about twenty years. An expedition had made its way 
around Africa to Asia, and the route across the Atlantic was not 
of such interest now; enthusiasm spent itself over the new route. 

It is supposed by some that Sebastian Cabot sailed with his 
father on this voyage. Later this son Sebastian claims to have 
done many things which recent investigation does not prove he 
actually did. 

The history of our country would have been greatly changed 
if Spain, instead of England, had secured possession of North 
America. 

A Venetian gentleman wrote home from London, and tells of 
Cabot's dress and title. The old "English Chronicles" have a few 
statements about him at the time of his voyage ; but little is known 
of his life. 

' / I MAN once lived in England about whom the 

/A^l world would like to know more than it does. 
/ (/ I There is dispute as to where he was born, and 
no one knows when he died or where he was 
buried. 

Among the many guesses which surround his name 
is one which hints that he died at sea, and the great 
ocean was his burial-place. 

One page in history is sufficient to tell all the world 
really knows about this man ; but his deeds have been 



Two Glimpses of a Great Man. 49 

too great for such small space, so historians feel inclined 
to guess many pages more concerning a life and char- 
acter of such renown. 

This man was one of a colony of bold Venetian sea- 
men who lived in a corner of Bristol, England. Great 
writers have argued well to prove that he was born in 
Genoa. Venice claims him as a Venetian by birth, as 
he certainly was by adoption. 

1490 is probably the date of his bringing his family 
to Bristol ; but no one is sure of the exact date. It is 
sure, however, that in this man's time Bristol was the 
liveliest trading port in England, and the merchant 
mariner about whom we have been talking was one of 
its most skilful navigators. 

Some news floated to England in 1492 which set the 
country wild. The news said that a certain Don Chris- 
topher Columbus had really sailed across the Atlantic 
from Spain, and over the wide ocean had found land, 
probably outlying islands of Cathay (Asia). 

Ideas of everything must be changed now. People 
knew, but could hardly understand, that this was a 
round, not a flat, world on which we live. When 
Columbus's discovery was reported, everybody was so 
astonished that they held their breath. Even the most 
frivolous stopped to whisper, '^This deed of Columbus 
is more than human." Stories of the great dark sea 
had vanished as if by magic. 

Bristol had been wondering what was out there in the 
sea, for many years. Some of her wealthy citizens had 



50 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

helped this Venetian mariner to go on expeditions which 
came to naught. 

Now the old fever for adventure returned. This 
adopted citizen of Bristol wanted to go in quest of what 
Columbus had not found — the mainland of Cathay, or 
Asia; and so great was the confidence in him, that the 
king fitted out a ship in which he sailed. 

We had better stop here to get one real glimpse of 
him. The old " English Chronicles " tell us that he was.: 
"^ Venetian which made himself expert and cunning 
in the knowledge and circuit of the world and islands by 
carde'' (chart). 

His ship was named the Mathew. It was a very small 
vessel, and manned by only eighteen sailors. 

On board the small ship was a letter from the king, 
authorizing the commander to take possession of whatso^ 
ever isles, countries, regions, or provinces of the heathens 
and infidels wheresoever they may be, in what part of the 
world soever they be, which before this time have not been 
known to all Christians. 

This king's English is a little tiresome, so we will 
turn from this pompous letter, and join a crowd which 
has assembled about his palace, Whitehall, in London. 
Several weeks have passed since John Cabot sailed from 
Bristol. All London knows he has returned, and is in 
the palace relating wonderful adventures to the king. 
Some of the adventures have been gossiped about the 
street. People want to see the man about whom there 
is so much excitement; therefore they wait. 



Two Glimpses of a Great Man. 51 

It is three hundred and ninety-nine years since this 
London crowd waited for a ghmpse of John Cabot, and 
the ghmpse they got is about the only one the world 
will ever have of a remarkable man. 

After four centuries we are as anxious to know and 
see him as the people about Whitehall Palace in 1497; 
but curiosity will never be satisfied about the man whose 
voyage was next in importance to Columbus's own. 

When he came out of the palace a crowd of court 
danglers surrounded him, eagerly questioning; and we 
are told " the people mil after him like mad.'' 

The people saw a man past middle age, bronzed and 
rugged. His clothes were of richest silk and velvet. 
Those who speak to him call the discoverer *' Admiral"; 
therefore the king must have honored him with the 
title. 

Old "English Chronicles" say that being a foreigner and 
poor, this John Cabot would have been called a liar by 
the people but for his crew. Many of them were Bristol 
m.en, and they confirmed what the Venetian reported. 

In this they were unlike the people of Spain, who did 
not question Columbus's truth when he asserted that he 
saw mermaids ; nor did they doubt when it was said that 
a race of people in the New World had been found, which 
was born with horns and tails like animals. 

Cabot makes no effort to tell big stories. He informs 
the people about him that he sailed from Bristol in May. 
On the 24th of June, 1497, he discovered what he sup- 
posed to be Cathay (China). The last of July he was 
again in Bristol. 



52 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

He saw no human being, although he sailed three 
hundred leagues down the coast of the new country. 
What he did see was an enormous quantity of fish. 
In one place the sea was so full of codfish that it 
appeared like a slimy pool of wriggling life, and if a 
basket were let down it could be hauled up full of fish. 

He sailed for home without exploring, because he was 
short of food. 

That is all the glimpse there is to give of Cabot the 
elder. 

His independence in sailing straight across from Eng- 
land, instead of following the southern course of the 
Spanish navigator, bore fruit which the people of the 
times could not foresee. All acknowledge him now as 
the first discoverer of the continent of North America. 

He knew that he had touched mainland ; and that 
short, successful voyage gave England its foothold in 
the New World, and made it possible for the powerful, 
liberty-loving Anglo-Saxon to found this mighty republic. 



Dancing to the God of the New World. 

FIFTY thousand dusky faces are looking into the 
eyes of their keen old chief, as he stands up to 
tell them that the Spaniards are coming to 
invade fair Cuba, He holds up a little palm-tree 
basket filled with gold and says : 

" They leave their homes and disturb us for a great 
Lord they are very fond of." 

''This is the Lord they serve ; him they follow; and, as 
you have already heard, they are about passing over 
hither to seek this Lord ; therefore let us make a great 
festival and dance to him, to the end that when they 
come he may order them to do us no harm." 

In the quaint words of an old historian (Harris) : 
*' Accordingly they all began to sing and dance until 
they were quite tired, for it was their custom to dance 
as long as they could stand, from nightfall until break 
of day ; and their dances were as in Hispaniola (now San 
Domingo) to the music of their songs ; and though fifty 
thousand men and women were assembled, no one 
differed from the rest in the motion of their heads and 
bodies. But those of Cuba far exceeded the natives of 
Hispaniola; their songs being far more agreeable." 



54 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Picture it, you who can, fifty thousand Hthe, dark 
bodies dancing under Cuban palms to appease the 
wrath of the white man's god — gold ! 

One hundred thousand eyes are fixed on the little 
basket of gold; one hundred thousand hands are stretched 
out in supplication to it ! Fifty thousand dark, graceful 
bodies sway as one ! Fifty thousand heads move line 
on line ! What athletic field ever presented a scene so 
inspiring ? 

The moon, so clear and bright in this tropical coun- 
try, adds to the weird beauty of the scene by making 
fifty thousand dancing shadows which sway with the 
dancing figures. Its soft light also steals through the 
trees, and thousands of other moving shapes are created 
out of leaves and branches. This Cuban grove seems 
like a shadow world. 

Although so shadowy, it is not a silent scene. The 
dance-song pours from fifty thousand lips — a low, sad., 
crooning sound that swells and rises to the skies like 
the wail of a lost race, as indeed it is. 

The long hours between nightfall and daybreak wear 
on, and still the dancing continues. The yellow god of 
the white man lies in the basket without any sign of 
pleasure at this festival in its honor. Dancers become 
weary; slower is the motion, until daylight sees but a 
wearied, gentle swing, and apparent gladness that it is 
time to stop. 

Tired with singing and dancing before the little 
basket of gold, they once again listen to their chief. 



Dancing to the God of the New World. 55 

'*Do not keep the Lord of the Christians in any place 
whatsoever," he says; "for if he were inside of you they 
would fetch him out. Therefore, cast him into the 
river." 

The little basket is taken, and its contents of gold is 
flung into the river's depths. 

Note. — Fifty thousand Cuban Indians actually danced all night 
before a little basket of gold, which metal their chief had con- 
cluded was the real god of the Spaniards. 

Tlieir anxiety to appease this queer god arose from the fact that 
they heard the white men were coming to settle on their island. 
The remarkable speech is recorded in "Harris's Voyages." 

The scene must have been weird beyond description, and sad 
as it was strange. The moon in Cuba and other tropical countries 
is much brighter than in more northern parts. 

Dancing to songs seems to have been a part of their religious 
service in most Indian tribes. The dance was generally a slow, 
swaying motion, and whole tribes became expert in moving in a 
uniform way. Dances to celebrate victory were more vigorous in 
motion. 




A Funny Scene. 

FTER Columbus died, adventurers poured over 
the sea to inhabit the lands he discovered, r.nd 
search for the gold he never found. 

Many of these were wild and reckless men 
from the mountain regions of Spain. With these 
mountain robbers came men from noble families, whose 
fortunes had been squandered, and who hoped to rob 
the much dreamed of Cathay and thus become rich 
without effort. These were not much more honest 
than the outlaws. 

None of them made peaceful settlements at first. 
They came for gold, and wandered from place to place 
in search of it. 

Suffering and fighting hardened them, until their 
natures became cruel as tigers; and they not only 
fought the Indians, but fought among themselves like 
wolves. 

Gentle natives were killed for no offense except the 
one which enraged these gold hunters : the poor Indians 
were unable to tell them where to find the golden land 
their oppressors had come to seek. 

So cruel were some of these Spanish adventurers 
that they actually hunted Indians — women and children 
as well as men — with dogs for sport. 



A Funny Scene. 57 

On account of quarrels in Hispaniola {His' pan-i-o^ -Id) 
a company was to emigrate from there. 

They were to sail under the command of a wealthy 
lawyer of that island, named Encisco (An-cis'-co), and 
intended to go to some friends who had emigrated 
before them to a place in Central America called San 
Sebastin. 

Now on this island of Hispaniola lived a certain 
young Spanish adventurer of the sort described. He 
was of noble but poor family, and was such a mixture 
of bravery and cowardice, good humor and cruelty, and 
of piety and dishonesty, that it is pretty hard to say 
what kind of a man he was. 

By law of the island this man could not leave His- 
paniola because he either would not or could not pay 
his debts. 

Among the barrels and boxes of provision which 
were placed on board Encisco' s (An-ces'-co's) ship, came 
a cask from the farm of this man. It was placed 
among the stores, and probably marked "tobacco," 
''potatoes," or something similar. 

The ship was well out to sea when it was noticed 
that a man was making his way out of this cask. A 
group surrounded it immediately ; and as the handsome, 
unscrupulous, dark face of a man about thirty-five years 
of age came into view, all recognized the farmer who 
did not pay his debts.* 



* Vasco Nunez De Balboa {Vas-co Noo-ndz) was an unwelcome 
guest on board this ship until a storm arose which dashed the ship 



58 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Amid jeers he scrambled out of the barrel, and on 
all sides heard the frank remark that he had taken this 
way to run away from those he owed. 

Precise Lawyer Encisco (An-ces'-co) was called, and 
scandalized that his ship had been assisting a runaway 
to escape. The angry commander threatened to put 
the culprit ashore on an uninhabited island to starve. 

All boldness left the dark face. The unwelcome 
passenger fell on his knees, and begged not to be put 
off thus. With tears and prayers he entreated the 
commander for life and protection, and promised the 
best of behavior. 

His entreaties finally prevailed. Putting him on his 
good conduct, the exact lawyer allowed the reckless 
Balboa who was to be his ruin, to go on with his 
company. 

The incident is worth remembering, for the contents 
of that cask figure again on the pages of history. 



on a shore unknown to Encisco. It was the mainland, the Isthmus 
of Darien. Balboa had been there before, and said he could lead 
them to an Indian village where the natives did not use poisoned 
arrows, and where they would all be kindly treated. He did as he 
agreed. Finally, the colony made a settlement not far from the 
place they first set out to find. 



The Speech of an Indian Prince. 

0N the Isthmus of Darien, about the year 15 12 
or 15 13, a scene is taking place which is worth 
adding to our mental picture gallery. 
The scene is in an Indian village ; not a 
village of tent-like wigwams, but streets of wood and 
mud huts thatched with palms and clay. There are 
traces of civilization in this remote wild region, among 
these untutored men of the forest. Way back in the 
centuries some ancestor must have had and left in these 
savage minds an idea of a home. 

The erect old chief, Comogre {Com'-o-g7re), is 
receiving guests today. 

His palace is a large, wooden building, one hundred 
fifty yards in length and eighty in breadth, and a stone 
wall surrounds this immense structure. Inside, it is 
furnished well, exceedingly well for the home of a sav- 
age chief, and the food compares favorably with that of 
civilized people. 

Several sorts of drink made from fruit, and not much 
inferior to wine, is furnished the visitor. 

The chief is partially clothed himself; but his warriors 



6o Vivid Scenes in American History. 

who stand about are naked. Each holds his long, 
strong bow, and the sheath tied to his hip is full of 
arrows. 

The old Indian king wants the white visitors to know 
that he lives in greater splendor than any chiefs of the 
surrounding tribes ; and all the wealth he can display is 
out for show, while gifts for the guests are brought by 
attendants. 

The visitors are white men — Spaniards. One is an 
old acquaintance ; we saw him crawling out of a barrel 
on board ship, and left him on his knees begging for 
mercy. 

He is very erect now. The runaway debtor, who 
took such ignoble means to get away from Hispaniola, 
has made a jump on fortune's heights, and scaled a 
landing as governor of Darien, 

Social visits of Spanish governors in these times are 
not made to charm away the time. They go calling on 
their simple neighbors for the sake of what they can 
get. These forest highwaymen visit with sword in 
hand. If the chiefs are not ready with presents of gold, 
of food, and of slaves, they must get them for their 
white visitors, or die. 

Comogre [Com'-o-gree), however, wants to make 
friends with the Spaniards. Gifts of gold wrought into 
ornaments, and plate of considerable beauty, with pearls, 
are in plain sight, and a group of miserable creatures 
doomed to be beasts of burden or slaves stand near. 

The white men are received cordially, but they hurry 



The Speech of an Indian Prince. 61 

through ceremony, devour food and drink with more 
speed than civihty ; then they seize with greedy hands 
the gold and pearls. 

The leader is given his share with a fair degree of 
dignity ; but scales are promptly brought out, and sharp 
eyes are fixed on every tiny bit of the precious gold as 
they begin to weigh it. An old Spanish historian tells 
us that a "babbling among the Spanish arose about 
the dividing of the gold." 

The eldest son of Comogre, a fine young Indian 
prince, looks on at this ignoble clamor, and cannot con- 
ceal his disgust ; so, hitting the scales with his hand, he 
dashes the gold in all directions, exclaiming : 

"What is this, Christians.? Is it for such a little 
thing that you quarrel and make so much turmoil about 

a little gold which nevertheless you melt down from 

beautifully wrought work into rude bars .? * 

'*If you have such love of gold that to obtain it you 
harass the peaceful nations of the lands, and suffer such 
labors, banish yourselves from your own lands, I will 
show you a country where you may fulfil your desires. 
But it is necessary for this that you should be more in 
numbers than you now are ; for you would have to fight 
your way with great kings, and among them, in the first 
place. King Tubanamaf {Tu'-ba-na-ma), who abounds 
with this gold, and whose country is distant from us six 
suns." 



*The Spaniards carried a melting apparatus with them, and 
melted the gold into bars for money. 

t King Tubanama was a chief of Darien. 



62 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

''Cathay!" cried Balboa. ** Cathay ! " echoed his 
followers. 

Now the young prince is showered with questions. 
He tells them of a great sea towards the south, and a 
little way over the sea lies a land of gold, where the 
people eat from golden dishes and drink from golden 
cups. 

The prince is sure a thousand men will be needed to 
conquer this land. He says he knows, because their 
own people had wars, and one of his tribe had been a 
captive in that country. 

He ends by offering to accompany the Spaniards, 
and says they may "hang him to the next tree" if his 
words did not prove true. 

'' It will restore me to the favor of the king if I can 
find that ocean and that land," thought Balboa. 

A stronger and more unscrupulous man than Balboa 
also listened to the prince's tale. It was a sturdy cap- 
tain named Pizarro. To quote again from the old 
Spanish historian : 

'' Of all the captains who listened to this naked young 
man, and pondered in their minds, none more earnestly 
considered his sayings." 

The Spanish gather up the gifts of gold ; they place 
their burdens on the backs of the slaves, and turn for a 
forest march to their own town of Darien. 

As they tramp through swamp and jungle, as they 
scale rocky heights and look up lofty mountains, the 
resolve is settled to brave all dangers, press over the 



The Speech of an Indian Prince. 6^ 

wild mountains, and find the sea about which Indians 
have been telling for years.* 



* This is the first time any definite information was given to the 
Spaniards about the Pacific Ocean and Peru. 

A little later another story was added to this one of the Indian 
prince. Balboa was told that there was a river in which the 
natives fished for gold with nets. This story was sent to Spain, 
and set that country wild. Such fishing was easy and to the taste 
of alL Emigrants came pouring over, with fish nets all prepared ; 
but the river has not yet been discovered. Many Americans 
would like to find and fish in it. 

It is probable that the Indians often invented marvelous stories 
about the abundance of gold in certain places. They did this to 
get rid of the Spaniards, and please them. 

Indians cared little for gold. They did not use it for money, and 
it did not represent wealth to them. The love of the white man for 
this yellow metal puzzled the natives sorely. They felt that it was 
ignoble, unless it were associated with the great God of the white 
men in some mysterious way. 




A New Ocean. 

REAT deeds have a way of eluding men that 
governments appoint to do them, and slipping 
into obscure hands which nature herself has 
trained for their accomplishment. 

For years American Indians had hinted that a 
mighty ocean lay towards the west. They could not 
tell where. This chief had heard it from that chief ; 
one chief's grandfather had heard it from another chief's 
grandfather ; so the vague legend ran until the son of 
Comogre {Com' -o-gree) told the white gold-lovers how to 
find it. 

Europe sent learned geographers to find that South 
Sea ; but these great men went home with no tale to 
tell, no new sea to put on maps. 

A journey now across the Isthmus of Panama takes 
little over two hours. It is made in a modern car 
which is drawn by a puffing engine, up rocky heights, 
over bridged rivers and ravines, through tunneled 
chasms, and finally down windmg slopes to the sea. 

Science has swept a path through these beautiful, 
wild, palm-covered mountains ; still nature holds stubborn 
sway. 



A New Ocean. 65 

The first journey over this wild Isthmus of Panama 
was one of the most remarkable ever attempted by man. 

It was made by Balboa, almost four hundred years 
ago. He had with him one hundred ninety armed men, 
some bloodhounds, and a company of nine hundred Indian 
slaves to carry burdens. It took twenty-five days.* 

This first journey did not begin at Aspinwall, where 
the present railroad starts. The first journey from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific began at Darien, south of there, 
and ended on the Pacific, near the Gulf of San Miguel. 

In order to get an idea of this wonderful march, the 
mental eye must see a rugged mountain region made 
up of jagged peaks and intervening valleys. There are 
awful chasms, and rivers that puzzle by their winding 
course ; but these are not the greatest opposers to the 
onward march of man. Rank vegetation is the foe that 
holds him back. Valley and peak alike are covered, not 
only with forest trees which have been standing for 
ages, but descendants of these giants of the wild wood 
in all stages of growth crowd close between. 

Branches thick with leaves interlace until few rays of 
sun can penetrate this solid roof of green. Vines climb 
wildly from tree to tree ; they twist and turn, and cross 
and recross, mingling with a luxuriant growth of fern 



*We are told that on this journey the Indians, seeing so 
few Spaniards, generally made little account of them till they felt 
their swords. When they drew near, the Spanish saluted them 
with their firearms first, and then with their crossbows, after which 
they let go the dogs. 



66 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

and cactus near the earth, forming a matted, tangled 
mass which leaves room only for the slimy life of the 
reptile and insect world. 

An axe must cut a way before the foot of man can 
take its place beside that of the animal in this tropical 
mountain wild. 

The equatorial sun beats fiercely, and tropical rains 
pour drenching torrents. Slimy reptiles crawl about 
the feet of the marching invaders, so thick that they are 
crushed under the heel. The growl of wild beasts, the 
chattering of monkeys, the sour smell of fermenting 
leaves, deadly vapors rising, lack of food — all add to 
the discomfort and peril. 

A way is cut through this tangled mass, only to find 
that a path has been opened to what appears to be 
an impassable ravine. Rivers bar the way, and rafts 
must be made to cross them. When nature ceases to 
be such a staunch foe, and appears to have been tamed 
by man to some extent, another danger confronts the 
explorers. Tribe after tribe of hostile Indians must be 
fought and conquered. 

Thus, battling with nature and with man, the first 
journey from ocean to ocean has almost been finished. 

On a table-land just under a jagged height, Indian 
guides tell Balboa that if he goes up that mountain 
he will see the South Sea. It is the 25th day of 
September, 15 13. The leader stops. Are his Indian 
guides correct ? Is the rumored sea he has suffered so 
much to find to be seen from that stony height ? 



A New Ocean, 67 

The heart of Balboa begins to throb. All that is best 
in this unscrupulous and cruel man comes to the front. 
He decides to. go up that height alone. With no eye 
but God's he will face triumph or failure. 

Up the steep sides he climbs, and who can measure 
his emotions as his eye sweeps down from the top, over 
less lofty ridges ^ — ^down, down to a calm, blue sea which 
surrounds all the land in sight ? 

Long centuries have kept a picture memorable and 
noble in mind. Alone on this rocky height of the 
Sierras, this bearded Spaniard kneels and gives thanks 
to God for permitting him to make this discovery. 
Rising, he beckons to his followers, and they too 
ascend and look. 

Bold are the hearts of these brave adventurers, and 
cruelly bloody are their hands ; but behold them now. 
It takes no urging to get them on their knees to God 
in this hour of solemn thankfulness. All kneel to pour 
out thanks for being permitted to do a great thing ; and 
when this hearty and sincere devotion ends, Balboa 
says : 

''You see here, gentlemen and children mine, how 
our desires are being accomplished, and the end of our 
labors. Of that we ought to be certain. For as it has 
turned out true what King Comogre's son told us of this 
sea, so I hold for certain that what he told us of there 
being incomparable treasures in it will be fulfilled. God 
and his blessed mother, who has assisted us so that we 
should arrive here and behold this sea, will favor us so 
that we may enjoy all there is in it." 



68 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Notes. — When the Indians saw the fire of muskets, heard a 
report, smelled powder, observed how many dropped dead, they 
turned their backs and fled. They thought the fire from the mus- 
kets, lightning; and the Spaniards, devils. 

Three days after seeing the Pacific from the mountain, Balboa 
marched to the ocean, and, wading up to his thighs in water, 
solemnly took possession of it and all it contained in the name of 
the king of Castile, and called on a notary to witness what he did. 
The Indians looked on in amazement at the strange ceremony of 
taking possession, Balboa did not know that he was taking pos- 
session of about one-half the earth's surface. 

He had no idea of the size of the Pacific. America was still 
supposed to be a large island or small continent lying off Asia, or 
Cathay, as the Spaniards called it. The land where gold was so 
plentiful that the people used it for cups and dishes, and which lay, 
according to Indian tradition, a little way across the sea, proba- 
bly still meant Cathay to the Spanish. America was not a vast 
continent to them. 

Balboa was popular with his men, because, we are told, '"he 
showed no difference between himself and other soldiers." Al- 
though extremely cruel to the Indians, he was kind to his own sick 
soldiers, and showed many noble traits, in spite of irregularities of 
conduct which better became a freebooter than a civilized man. 



A Statue of Earth. 

y^HE broad, calm Pacific is undisturbed because a 
^ black whiskered Spaniard waded into its waters 



and took possession of it. 

On its shore stands a large group of the men 
who have made a wonderful march and cut a road from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific. Surrounding them is a 
group of friendly natives. One, a chief named Tumaco 
[T?i-ina'-co), is giving information. Pointing towards 
Peru, he says: 

''The land extends much in that direction, and the 
people have great quantities of gold. They use certain 
beasts to carry their burdens. These beasts are the 
sheep of that country," and kneeling down he modeled 
a statue of earth. It was a strange, horned, short- 
legged, hump-backed creature,* of a kind unknown to the 
Spaniards. Some said it was a camel, others a deer. 
Most of them did not know what it was, but all felt they 
would know soon, for this was the second time they had 
heard of this land of much gold; and to go to it and 
obtain vast wealth was now the purpose of two on- 
lookers to this scene, — one was Balboa and the other 
his captain, Pizarro. 



The figure made by Tumaco was tliat of the llama {Id'-mii). 



yo Vivid Scenes in American History. 

That statue of earth and the Uttle talk with friendly 
Indians set Spanish tongues chattering as they lounge 
about their camp-fire by the side of the vast ocean which 
they have just discovered. 

Visions of great wealth float through their minds. 
Balboa thinks of a stately home in old Spain restored 
to splendor; while through Pizarro's mind float different 
visions. There is no sweet home scene for a back- 
ground to this rugged soldier's dream. 

As he lies on that sandy shore, a miserable hovel and 
an abused, overworked child are the principal figures 
that memory brings from the land of his birth. There 
is a mother poor in affection as well as in worldly goods, 
and a father whose proud, rich family will not recognize 
him at all. Neither of these, so closely allied by blood, 
stir his heart to one throb of affection. They had thrust 
him upon the world with less care than is an animal's 
due. 

Ah, strange working of events. Balboa, the leader of 
this great expedition, lying there so strong and master- 
ful, will never realize his great ambition. 

Older Pizarro, now simply a rough, obedient soldier, 
will go back to a little Spanish village, not as a common 
soldier and remembered as a small, dirty swineherd, but 
as a nobleman of Spain. His proud father's family will 
meet him now with outstretched arms, and it is to the un- 
daunted discoverer's great credit that half-brothers on 
both father's and mother's side become such devoted 
friends that they follow him to the New World. The 



A Statue of Earth. 71 

outcast elder brother will become, not only the founda- 
tion of future fame and fortune in the family, but to the 
end of his life he will remain the protector and friend 
of the kin who did so little for him as a child. 

Did any of this cross his mind as he lay there dream- 
ing by that queer statue of earth ? 

Notes. — The Indians did not use gold for money. They cared 
little for it, and wondered to see the vSpanish melt the pretty orna- 
ments given them, into little squares. Indeed, it is reported that 
the son of Comogre reproved them for this. 

When they understood the Spanish greed for gold, and wanted 
to make friends with these wielders of thunder and lightning, they 
collected gold and pearls for the Spanish with the same indifference 
to their value as a child who gathers pretty shells on the beach for 
another child. 

Tumaco verified all that Comogre's son had said of the land of 
gold. 

The road made by Balboa was used for a long time, and travel 
back and forth was so constant that the governor of Darien for a 
while lived on the Pacific coast. 

Balboa was beheaded by the governor of Darien, a wicked man, 
who feared his influence ; so the conquest of Peru fell into the hands 
of Pizarro. 

Pizarro's life as a child was not happy. He was obliged to work 
like a little slave, taking care of pigs. He lived with his mother 
in a little hovel. Finally he ran away from home and entered the 
army. He never went back to his birthplace until Spain had en- 
nobled him for his discoveries ; then he went to raise men for the 
expedition. 



A Visit from the Children of the Sky God.* 

Historical Review. — In 15 19 Hernando Cortez, a young and 
daring Spanish adventurer, sailed from Cuba to make discoveries 
in New Spain, now Mexico. As he advanced into the interior, signs 
of wealth and civilization increased ; so he determined to conquer 
the country. He was aided in his purpose by the superstition of 
the people, who received the Spaniards as gods, and thought their 
firearms thunder and lightning given by the sky god. 



H 



MERICAN boys and girls cannot receive visits 
from sky gods unless they do much supposing. 
/ / Let us suppose. 

Suppose you are a Mexican Indian and have 
never seen a white man. Suppose you are the kind of an 
Indian who lives in a well-built town of clay and stone, 
with temples and streets, with reservoirs of water, with 
a great stone palace for your king, and many comforts 
and customs of civilized life. 

Naturally you despise the homeless savage who roams 
the forest, and think him far beneath a Mexican like 
yourself. 

Suppose you have a strange religion and worship 
many strange gods. Among them is a sky god who 
hurls thunder and lightning when he is angry, and 
makes the sky sweet and blue when he is his smiling 
self. 



* An old Mexican legend said the children of the sky god — fair 
creatures with a great animal — would come sometime to destroy 



A Visit from the Children of the Sky God. 73 

You have heard an old tale which has been repeated 
from grandmother to grandmother in your nation, which 
says that this beautiful sky god will come sometime 
with fair creatures like himself to overthrow your people. 

Suppose a mighty and mysterious name hovers over 
not only your nation but every nation in the vast lands 
about. All speak this name with awe, fearful lest some 
unseen power carry every critical word to the ears of 
the mighty emperor whose kingdom is far over the 
mountain ranges and high up on a lofty plain. 

The empire of this mystical monarch is a fairyland 
of splendor to you. So far as you know he is the 
greatest ruler on earth, and his people live in the most 
splendid way in the grandest cities in the world. The 
name of this emperor is Montezuma (^Mon-tc-rju-ma), and 
his people are cajled Aztecs (^Az-tecks). Grand as you 
think your king, he is but a servant to this terrible 
monarch, and must help sustain that dread master by 
heavy taxes. 

Suppose some day startling news comes to your 
mountain city. Report says that the sky god and his 
wonderful white children have descended on the land. 

These heavenly creatures came over the water in a 



the nation. Cortez and his followers were supposed to be these 
children of the sky god referred to. 

The Indians had never seen a horse and had never seen a white 
man. They thought horse and rider one creature, and were in 
deadly terror when they saw it coming. The Mexicans fully 
believed the Spaniards were supernatural. The firearms was an- 
other thing thev had not seen and of which thev were afraid. 



74 Vivid Scenes in American History. 



8"'-' 



reat white-winged building, and are climbing the moun- 
tains and marching toward the imperial city of Monte- 
zuma. 

You are puzzled to picture these children of the sky. 

The spies say they are all beautiful and fair. Some 
are in shape and size of men ; others are part man 
and part animal. They are clothed in glittering rai- 
ment,* and a beard covers their faces. 

Wild stories come about these man-animals, or gods, 
or whatever they are, and you creep to bed in a tremble, 
and dream of these unearthly creatures who are over- 
running the land. 

A cry awakens you. "They are here! they are 
here ! ' ' 

A solemn fear hovers over the city. With sixty 
thousand other people you creep into the street and wait 
like one in a dream for the mysterious creatures who 
have come to enslave you. 

It is a time of tumult and sorrow. Priests are 
sacrificing victims in the temples and imploring the 
images you call gods for help. The king calls his war- 
riors and gathers gifts of slaves and gold to coax the 
good will of the strangers. Women and children are in 
deadly terror. 

At last you hear the blast of strange heavenly music, f 
Nothing like it ever came from your musical instruments. 
This sweet sound is soon drowned by the thunder of 
many clashhig iron feet on your hard, smooth roads. 



* Steel armor. -f A trumpet. 



A Visit from the Children of the Sl^iy God. 75 

The clank and clash and motion is all so bewildering 
that you can hardly see what is coming. Finally amid 
the flash and glitter you see the strangest creature 
Mexican eyes ever beheld. The upper part is a man 
in shining dress.* He is bearded and beautiful ; while 
under him is a monstrous but graceful animal which 
bears him swiftly along. 

''Is it all one creature.'^" ''It must be, of course." 
"It is a double creature." "How it paws the ground." 
"See! Tlie man part speaks, and the four-footed part 
listens. That great black thing must be human, for it 
understands human speech." O look again! The man 
part has fallen to the ground, and the four-footed thing 
rears and snorts and plunges. 

The people cry, "It is broken! The creature is 
broken to pieces!" f But is it.'* 

No. The man part jumps up. He is tall and 
straight, and he does not seem to be afraid of the four- 
footed monster. "What is he going to do.'* " He leaps 
on the back of that great creature and makes the thing 
obey him. 

A shrewd old warrior who stands Avatching remarks : 

" That is not one creature. One is a man, and the 
four-footed thing is a new kind of animal which the sky 
god has given to bear him over the earth." Some be- 
lieve this is true ; some do not know ; and all are in a 
tremble. 

Presently another thing startles you. One of those 

* Steel armor. f This a true anecdote. 



76 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

godlike creatures lifts a long, slender black thing. * 
There is a report of thunder and a flash. A turkey falls 
dead 

All doubt vanishes now. These must be children of 
the sky god, for who else could arm them with thunder 
and lightning ? Even the king cringes, and sends slaves 
swiftly forward with the gold. 

One of the double creatures advances. Both the 
man part and the four-footed part are graceful. "This 
is a chief — perhaps it is the sky god himself. Beside 
him is a beautiful woman f of your own race. She 
speaks for him and tells you what he says." 

You have heard of this woman before. Spies report 
that she always goes with the children of the sky god. 
They call her Marina. 

" Hark ! " Marina speaks, " these white men are 
superior beings. They have a god who will let no harm 
befall them. They are immortal. That means they 
cannot die. They are subjects of a great prince who 
lives far over the sea. This prince is far greater than 
the mysterious emperor whom you have considered the 
grandest monarch on the earth. These white men have 
been sent to free you from the power of awful Monte- 
zuma, who makes you pay so much to keep up his splen- 
did city." Then she goes on to say, ''Your gods are 
useless. You must give them up and accept the 
mighty God of the white men." 

This you partly understand. You will accept the 
* A gun. t See note on Marina. 



A Visit from the Children of the Sky God. 77 

white men's God in addition to your own ; you think 
that the more gods you have, the better off you are ; 
and then this white men's God must be a God of awful 
power. 

When the wondrous strangers hear that you will 
accept their God, they plant a cross, and then with 
uncovered and bowed heads they begin to talk to this 
God. You would talk, too, if you knew what to say; 
but you do not. 

Your people wish to please their visitors ; so they take 
them to an iron cage where a beautiful youth is being 
fattened for sacrifice, and tell them that they may take 
him as an offering to their God. 

They hold up their hands in horror. Still trying to 
please these fair strangers, you offer them a feast, and 
tell them that after the heart of the victim has been fed 
to the god, the body will be served up at a feast ; but 
these strange white people are not pleased. They are 
more angry than ever. 

A beautiful old man who looks like a priest talks 
earnestly to Marina ; and she stands up to tell you that 
sacrifice is wrong, and that nothing would tempt a white 
creature to eat human flesh. It is all so puzzling. 

The white men now march to the cage. They set 
not only this victim, but all victims intended for sacrifice, 
free. Next they go to the temples, and unheeding cries 
of protest, march straight to the awful presence of your 
hideous gods. Taking the objects which you have been 
taught to adore, they fling them to the ground and 
smash them to pieces. 



78 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

You hold your breath, fearing something dreadful is 
about to happen ; but nothing does. These fair beings 
must be more than human to dare to treat the gods 
like this. 

There are no gods left now but that mysterious and 
mighty God of the white men. They tell you how to 
pray to him, leave you a cross, and then march on, 
taking your liberty and your gold. 

Most of these white creatures love gold better than 
their God. The leader with the laughing eyes bade 
Marina explain to you that white men had a disease of 
the heart which could only be cured by gold.* 

Notes. — Marina was a faithful interpreter who had been given 
to the Spaniards as a slave. 

Nothing had been found to equal the splendor of the Aztecs in 
the valley of Mexico ; but all along the march from the sea to the 
plain of Mexico the Indians had well-built cities. 

Cannibalism was common in Mexico and very revolting ; always 
in connection with the victims sacrificed as told. Twenty thousand 
victims were sacrificed yearly among the Aztecs, and their bodies 
eaten at feasts. 

Wild turkeys were plenty in Mexico and formed part of the food 
of the natives. 

Cortez was fortunate in having a priest with him of more than 
ordinary intelligence. He explained what the natives could 
understand of the Christian religion, and did not attempt to puzzle 
them with the rest. 



This anecdote of Cortez is true. 



A Dream City. 

•* When we saw from tJieiice so jiiany cities and towers 
rising up from the zvater, and otJier poptilons places situ- 
ated on land, zve remained astounded, and said one to 
anotJier that it appeared like enchanted castles wJiicJi they 
tell of in the book of Amadis, by reason of the great 
tozvers and temples and edifices which zvere in the zvater 
and all of them zvorks of masonry. Some of the soldiers 
asked if that they sazv zvas Jiot a thijig in a dreamt 
— One of Cortez's Soldiers. 

"pHE wild march of Cortez and his Spanish soldiers 

"^ is nearly over. They have come to a turn in the 

V mountain path, and around the corner of those 

rocks a glorious surprise awaits them. 

What causes this handful of white men and horde of 

dusky warriors to climb mountains of such height and 

such difficulty } 

They are searching for a lofty plain on which the 
powerful Indian nation of the Aztecs is said to dwell. 

Two kinds of Indians are familiar to these white 
men. 

They know the wandering savage whose only home 
is a wigwam. They have fought the half-civilized Indian 
of Mexico. Which will they encounter in the Aztec } 



8o Vivid Scenes in American History. 

The Spanish know that this far-famed nation is 
powerful ; but is their power that of the untamed savage, 
or have they reached the higher type ? 

It is an interesting question, and mingled with their 
greed for gold is curiosity to encounter the Aztecs. 

What care these hardy adventurers about the reputed 
fierceness of this nation ? The conquering white men 
have forced tribe after tribe of these Mexicans to 
become frightened allies or unwilling bondsmen. 

They have swept through the nations of these 
American wilds and left them captive to the white men 
forever. Now they will crown their work by subjugating 
the most powerful of all. 

The Indian guides have led the way around that bend, 
and have halted on a little flat, green space. The 
Spanish captain is soon by their side, looking upon the 
realm he is to snatch from those whose birthright it is. 
Around him is a group of the most astonished white 
men the world has ever seen. In full view is the fan 
valley of Mexico. It has fairly burst upon their sight, 
and no wonder these rough soldiers exclaim that they 
have stumbled on a dream. 

Below, encircled by shadowy, tree-covered mountains 
and on a lovely, lofty plain, lies the realm of mighty 
Montezuma (^Mon-te-zu'-ma). 

Far from civilization, and hid among the lofty moun- 
tains of the New World, a nation has been discovered, 
the cities of which rival proud old Europe's. 

Poor, helpless pen ! how it longs to take you over the 



A Dream City. 8i 

burning lowlands of Mexico, up its rocky steeps, over 
its high plains, up still steeper heights, and at last into 
a gorge between two lofty mountains, and let you stand 
beside this company of four hundred white men and 
their seven thousand straight, dark Indian allies who are 
advancing on the capital of Mexico ! 

Both white and red men have heard that this land is 
fair, but its wonderful beauty astonishes them. The 
Europeans know that nothing in all this world surpasses 
the. loveliness of this Indian realm. 

Town after town, city after city, nestle among giant 
trees or. Venice-like, on the surface of mirroring lakes. 
Like a gem of exquisite setting the capital city, our 
Dream City, rises in their midst. 

An enchanted pen dipped in magic ink could not 
describe this lovely city of the Aztecs. 

Instead of lonely wigwams made of sticks and hides, 
there are long streets of palaces, vast and splendid. 
Instead of a single forest trail, great causeways of 
solid masonry lead into the imperial city. Instead of 
a whisper to the Great Spirit through branches of a 
spreading tree, there are massive and beautiful temples 
for worship. 

The high plain itself, surrounded by mountains, dotted 
with shadowy lakes, studded with knolls of giant trees, 
is wildly picturesque; while cultivated fields, flowering 
orchards, and beautiful towns add another touch and 
make charming surroundings for the Dream City. 

It is a towered and a templed city. The quarried 



82 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

stone which rises so grandly in those temples and towers, 
tells a story which is not hard to read. There is skill 
in the hands which raised them, and the brains which 
planned buildings so massive and beautiful are not 
untutored. No lazy savages are these Aztecs. 

This ancient City of Mexico lies wholly on a large 
salt lake which pictures her in its shadowy depths with 
loving care. 

The mingled color of her red and white stone buildings 
is very beautiful from these far heights. 

Parks and pleasure gardens can be seen. Vast 
terraced mounds of the greenest grass and brightest 
flowers rise to the height of village church steeples. 
On these gay mounds are towering temples or vast 
palaces of the Aztec nobles. 

Besides the mighty causeways of solid stone which 
meet in the center of the city and connect it with the 
land, there are the most charming streets to be found in 
any city in the world. Some of them are wholly of 
water and are full of swift darting canoes. Some of 
them have paved sidewalks with a street of water, and 
some of the city's highways are entirely of land. 
Bridges span the streets, and drawbridges can cut off 
communication with land. 

About this grand collection of massive buildings the 
blue lake swishes. Its green banks are not bare. Clus- 
ters of trees wave protectingly over pretty suburban 
towns on its shores which nearly surround the stately 
city on the lake. 



A Dream City. 83 

Floating gardens move about in an unreal manner on 
the water, while whole streets of low, flat houses seem 
to be a part of fairyland. Their roof gardens, planted 
with shrubs and flowers, give them the appearance of 
being suspended between earth and water. 

It is an enchanting spot on which these Spaniards 
are standing, and they are gazing on an enchanting 
scene. 

The four hundred white men look with mingled 
feeling of admiration and fear. They know that people 
who can build such cities are skilful and powerful, and 
realize that at last something stronger than savage force 
has been met in the New World. 

'' Is it wise to go on V they ask. 

"Yes, on to victory or death," answers Cortez boldly; 
but his heart, too, is beating. He should look upon a 
scene which is taking place in the city on the lake, and 
he would be bolder yet. 

Down there in the Dream City, in a palace so vast 
that three thousand can find shelter under its roof, sits 
a man bowed in grief. He has shut himself up in 
private apartments and refuses to eat or sleep. Not a 
movement have the Spanish made since they landed in 
his vast realm has been unknown to Montezuma. Spies 
have just told him now that the white men are nearing 
the imperial city. They are but a handful, still they 
have swept thousands out of their way. 

Their terrible weapons are capable of repelling great 
hosts of simply armed red men, and their great God 



84 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

appears to protect them and the monster animals on 
which they ride so swiftly. 

So far as Montezuma can learn, no Spaniard has yet 
been harmed; so he cries out, "They are more than 
mortal." 

The unhappy monarch summons both priests and 
council, but they cannot help him. Fate seems to drive 
him on, and the all powerful emperor of Mexico prepares 
for his strange white guests with dread in his heart. 

Notes. — Cortez was acting governor of Santiago when love of 
adventure and love of gold induced him to set out from Cuba to the 
unknown land which we now call Mexico. He was a gay, reckless 
young man. He had seen savage Indians in Cuba, therefore was 
astonished at what he found in Mexico. He found there well-built 
cities, with cultivated farms surrounding them. All the tribes told 
of a still more powerful nation, called Aztecs, who were ruled by a 
mighty emperor, Montezuma. This emperor was either feared or 
hated by the tribes, for he had conquered many of them and com- 
pelled them to pay heavy taxes to him. 

Cortez easily persuaded some of these to become his allies and 
march with him to the far-famed capital of this emperor and 
overthrow his power. 

The Aztecs lived over several ranges of mountains from the 
coast, on a lofty plain that was shut in by mountains. 

It was not easy to get there, and the march of Cortez with his 
little band of white men is marvelous in the perils encountered 
and overcome. His few hundred men met and conquered fifty 
thousand Indians in one battle. This would not have been possible 
if it had not been for the superstitious awe in which the white men 
were held. Their firearms and horses struck terror to the Indians. 

The four hundred Spanish and seven thousand Indian allies 
were now marching over the mountains, and a sudden turn brought 
the beautiful valley of Mexico into view. 

The capital city, or Mexico — our Dream City — is said to have 



A Dream City. 85 

been one of the most beautiful in the world. Its houses were of 
red or white stone. The streets were very regular. There were 
palaces which were grand, and beautiful temples that were very 
fine. 

Within there were fine finishings of wood. Doors had not yet 
been invented. There were few openings for windows and for 
entrance with cotton hangings. The Aztecs cooked well. One of 
Cortez's soldiers says he counted thirty different dishes on Mon- 
tezuma's table. Turkey was a common food. 

It has been said that the first glimpse which the Spaniards had 
of ancient Mexico was the most romantic incident in the history of 
the world. 



Entering the Dream City. 



"pHERE was never a stranger procession than the 



^ 



^ one brought to your notice on this day of Nov. 
8, 1519- 

You cannot see it as an American boy, 
nearly four hundred years after it marched into the 
beautiful Dream City ; so transform yourself for this 
great occasion. Pretend that you are the son of an 
Aztec* noble, and live in a vast stone palace in ancient 
Mexico. 

On this day, so fatal to a great race of the New 
World, see with the eye of an Indian boy and hear 
with an Indian boy's ears. 

You are not transforming yourself into a savage; 
your home is as grand as the home of any rich man's 
son in the United States, and is much larger. It is a 
palace in reality as well as in name. There are but two 
stories to it, but it is two hundred feet in length, and it 
is situated on a mound of grass and flowers. Its walls 
are hung with beautifully dyed cotton tapestry. There 
are bath rooms where you bathe, and dining halls, and 



* Aztec was the name of the Indians who inhabited the valley 
of Mexico. They were industrious and highly civilized in many 
respects. 



Entering the Dream City. 87 

sleeping apartments in great number. The wood work 
is beautifully polished. No European boy has a more 
dainty table, or set with greater variety of fruits and 
vegetables than you ; and Mexico is the native land of 
the turkey.* 

There is no glass in the windows, but you do not 
mind that, and hangings | are used instead of doors. 

You have canoes in which to paddle about from street 
to street, and servants to follow and see that no harm 
comes to you. 

No boy, be he from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, 
or Boston, lives in a city so beautiful ; for no city has 
ever equaled ancient Mexico if in beauty, not even an- 
cient Athens itself. 

On this morning every boy in Mexico is up before 
the dawn, for a procession far more interesting than a 
circus parades your great causeway § today; and what 
boy lingers in bed when a circus passes at daybreak } 

From the low, flat roof of your father's palace you look 
down upon the lake in the dim, early light. 



* Turkeys were found in great quantities in Mexico, both wild 
and domesticated. 

t Portieres are much older than doors. 

X Ancient Mexico is said to have been the most beautiful city 
ever built. Its situation among the mountains and on a lake gave 
it a matchless setting; while its red stone buildings mingling with 
white plaster ones, so polished that they shone like silver, gave it 
a jewel-like appearance. 

§ Three great causeways led from Mexico's central square to 
land. Seme authors say there were four causeways. 



88 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

It is already alive with canoes, and the banks are lined 
with people who are talking earnestly. For months you 
have heard startling stories. They say that a new race 
of men has appeared. These strangers are fair to look 
upon, and it is whispered that they are more than mortal. 

Their marvelous conquests se^m to prove their kin- 
ship to the powers above. Four hundred of them — 
some mounted on great animals — have subdued all the 
nations between the valley of Mexico and the sea. 

Report says that this four hundred met in battle and 
overcame fifty thousand Indians.* 

Now these dreaded strangers have climbed the for- 
tress-like mountains, which Mexico thought guarded it 
so absolutely, and, descending into the valley, are march- 
ing swiftly to the imperial city itself. 

To-day is the great day. These white men, half 
earthly and half heavenly to you, are expected within 
a few hours. 

As a boy, you are anxious to see all that can be seen; 
but the thing about which Aztec boys have wondered 
most, is not the white men with beards ; it is the monster 
animals I they ride, which Aztec people describe as, "big- 
ger stags," than theirs. The boys are wild to see those 
great, snorting, pawing stags, which understand human 
speech and which bear white men swiftly over the earth. 



*This is true. Fifty thousand or more Indians were routed by 
a charge from Cortez's eighty horsemen. 

t Aztecs had never seen a horse. They never made beasts of 
burden of any animal. Slaves performed the work a horse or ox 
would do to-day — carried burdens, dragged ploughs, etc. 



Entering the Dream City. 89 

Nothing could seem more strange to an Aztec boy 
than a man venturing on the back of any animal, and 
you do not doubt it when you are told that it is by 
enchantment these wonderful men are able to stay on 
the backs of those stags. There was little sleep in 
the beautiful Dream City last night; a feeling of fear 
swept over it, and even you boys felt it. 

This morning you stand on your father's roof and 
look towards a great temple placed on a mound* high 
enough to be called a small mountain. It is the temple 
of your sky god. 

The coming white men are said to be nothing less 
glorious than children of this same sky god, so you send 
up a little prayer to that deity for protection against 
them. 

A whisper about the emperor has added to the fear. 

No American boy can realize what a very great man 
this emperor is to you. They can compare your pride 
in his conquests to a feeling they would have for a pres- 
ident who had brought glory to the United States ; but, 
if the greatest hero-president the republic ever had, 
should claim godlike qualities, boys of the United States 
would laugh at and not revere him for doing it. 

Not so with you. Montezuma f {Jllon'-te-zu'-ma) is 



* Temples were placed on mounds, sometimes as high as ninety- 
feet. Palaces of nobles, varying in height according to rank, were 
also on slight elevations. 

t Montezuma was emperor of Mexico. He had conquered most 
nations that touched his empire, and continued to conquer until 



90 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

your hero of heroes, for has he not subdued all nations 
about Mexico ; but he is also in your estimation allied to 
the gods, and an object of deepest reverence. 

His magnificent summer palace crowns a hill not far 
from the city, and no grander building was ever erected. 
You have seen his fine city palace, a house capable of 
sheltering thousands under its roof. Hundreds of ser- 
vants minister to his wants on bended knees. He never 
wears the same robe twice, nor eats from the same dish 
a second time. 

So great is this awful ruler that only nobles serve him 
personally, and these great men go into his presence 
with bare feet and downcast eyes. It is an act of sacri- 
lege to look straight at great Montezuma. 

The whisper about the city says that this mighty 
emperor has been shut up in his private apartments for 
days, refusing food and imploring the gods to save him 
from these white men. 

He believes they are children of the sky god and are 
coming to overthrow his magnificent empire. Gold* 
has been offered freely if they will sail away in their 
winged ships ; but they will not go. 

■j-The emperor then sent soothsayers to bewitch them ; 
but none of the old charms affected the white men. 



tribes down on the lowlands, bordering the Gulf, were obliged to 
pay tribute to him. The name of Montezuma was a terrible one to 
all Indians in Mexico and Central America. 

* Montezuma tried to bribe Cortez to leave Mexico. 

t He also sent men to work enchanting spells on them. 



Entering the Dream City. 91 

*He called his priests from the temples, and they 
went away and offered many sacrifices ; but these sacri- 
fices did not avail. The white men marched straight on. 

Next he called his council about him, and these wise 
men advised the emperor to make the best of a neces- 
sity and invite these white strangers to Mexico. Mon- 
tezuma, fully believing that they are more than mortal, 
has unwillingly acted upon this advice. To-day they 
are coming to his capitol by invitation, and it is said the 
emperor wailed out : — 

"Of what avail is resistance, when the gods have de- 
clared themselves against us. Yet I mourn most for the 
old and infirm, the women and children, too feeble to 
fight or fly. For myself and the brave men around me, 
we must bare our breast to the storm and meet it as 
best we may." 

The noble but despairing words from your hitherto 
undaunted emperor sent a chill through the city, and 
all felt that something awful was about to happen. 

As you stand on the roof watching for the first gleam 
of the new day, a scene is taking place a few miles down 
the lake, of interest to all in the Dream City. The blare 
of a trumpet is waking the camp of the white men. 

As a Mexican boy you will not know what a trumpet f 

*An enormous number — sometimes as many as twenty thousand 
— victims were sacrificed yearly, and, disgusting to relate, these 
highly civilized Indians were cannibals. After the victim had been 
killed, his body was sent to the kitchen, cooked, and served as a 
dainty feast. 

t Indians had few musical instruments, and none lik-e those in 
common use among European nations. 



92 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

is, but you will hear one soon, and the music will sound 
delightful; but, poor Indian child, it were better for you 
that you never heard it. 

Four hundred white men and about seven thousand 
-'Indian allies shake off slumber at that trumpet's call, 
and immediately all is bustle in that camp. 

The great animals you "call stags are fed and saddled, 
and finally a long, long procession is arranged to march 
to the city of Montezuma. 

Eighty white horsemen come first. Behind them 
march three hundred white infantry. Next are strange 
black things, dragged by the monster animals you 
are so anxious to see. These things are called can- 
non, but that does not mean anything to an Aztec boy. 
You never saw fire belch from them, or heard the awful 
roar which follows the smoke and flash. Behind the 
cannon is baggage on the backs of Indian slaves, 
while in the rear are Indian allies, a long line of 
them, who march as they please, and do not keep 
step to the music with the beautiful regularity of the 
white men. , 

You would not be pleased to have me tell you the 
name of these Indian allies, for they are your old enemy, 
the Tlascalans {T-las^-ca-lans). 



* After battling with the TIascalan Indians, Cortez made a treaty 
with them. This tribe was one of the few who had successfully 
resisted Montezuma for years. They hated him and the Aztecs, so 
willingly combined with Cortez to overthrow them. 

It is very strange that Montezuma should have allowed them to 
enter Mexico. 



Entering the Dream City. ^^ 

As the son of a noble, you are favored with the best 
place to see, and that is near a stone wall which stretches 
across the causeway not far from the city, and which no 
stranger can pass without permission. 

Reports come that about six miles down the causeway 
the advance guard of your visitors has appeared. 

By this time the sidewalks of the causeway are thronged 
for miles ; the water is black with canoes ; in fact, the 
entire population of the Dream City has poured onto the 
lake, or causeway, to see what is coming ; and what a 
vast throng it is ! 

The causeway is so straight that you can see some- 
thing long before you can tell just what it is, and your 
ears are charmed with music that seems more than 
earthly to you. No such music was ever heard in Mexico 
before, and how the people strain their ears to hear, and 
how quiet and awestruck it makes them act ! 

The music grows louder and louder, and mingled with 
it, is the clatter of iron hoofs. 

Here they come. People jam back to the far edges 
of the sidewalk as four men, on the backs of great ani- 
mals, gallop swiftly forward. 

They have been sent ahead by the white leader to see 
that no trickery is prepared, to send his marching col- 
umns into the lake before he can reach the city, to which 
he has been so unwillingly invited. 

How spirited horses and riders look ! No objects so 
graceful ever moved in front of you before. How the 
great beasts rear and stamp ! What soft white skin the 



94 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

strangers have ! You would like to touch it with your 
hand, and with your little deep-set eyes you gaze in 
admiration at their great, beautiful dark ones. Yes, they 
are god-like to look upon. You agree with the emperor : 
these must.be children of the sky god. 

Perhaps they got those shining clothes from the 
country where the gods dwell. You never saw any 
material out of which such a scale-like, glittering coat 
could be made.* You wonder if it grew on them as the 
scales of a fish grow on its back, or whether it was 
made for them to take off and put on at will. 

Why are their legs and feet covered with those black 
and grey things f; and what a queer dish they have on 
their head. J If some strange, winged creatures should 
suddenly float down from the sky and wander about 
New York or Chicago, the boys of those cities would 
not be more full of wonder than were the Aztecs, when 
they first saw a white man and a horse. 

The whole procession halts in front of the stone wall, 
and what a stamping, a neighing, and a pawing of the 
great stags ! 

Another procession is coming from the city. Four 
hundred Aztec nobles and statesmen are to meet the 
strangers at this gate and announce that Montezuma is 
on the way to welcome them. 



* Armor. Indians had never seen steel. 
t Boots and knee breeches. 
t A hat. 



Entering the Dream City. 95 

The white leader has taken position in front, with a 
few attendants ; and, as you gaze at his handsome face* 
in admiration, you do not dream how much he admires 
your city on the lake. 

He and his men call it a work of fairy creation rather 
than of mortals. They speak of it as resembling Venice, 
far over the sea; and the causeways of solid masonry 
astonish them as much as the city. 

Your city is far more beautiful than Venice. That 
city pushes out from land, with an approach of swampy 
tide water on one side. There is no swampy tide-ap- 
proach to the Dream City. She does not hug the banks 
of the lake. She rises boldly out of deep water, as if the 
blue waves themselves were her foundation. 

This makes her seem unreal to Cortez, as he sits there 
on his horse; for only fairies rear cities on foundations 
of water. 

The nobles are coming now, all finely robed in richly 
dyed material. On their feet are jeweled sandals ; about 
their bare ankles and arms are golden bands. Strings 
of jewels fall about their necks and breasts, while nose 
rings and ear rings of great beauty are worn. 

Feathers are a very fashionable adornment. The 
most beautifully dressed gentlemen in the procession 
wear feather girdles and feather mantles. 

The white leader does not dismount. Bending low in 
his saddle, he makes a salutation that is strange to you, 



*Cortez, conqueror of Mexico, was very fine looking. 



96 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

and not half so fine as the nobles of Mexico make in 
return. 

Each Indian gentleman stops directly in front of the 
white leader, stands still an instant, then slowly bends 
his body until his right hand touches the ground. Next, 
he raises himself, and standing straight, carries the same 
hand to his forehead, and then passes on. It takes a 
long time for all the nobles to pass in file before Cortez, 
and make all these fine salutations. The old and stiff 
must go slowly, or run the risk of tumbling over, before 
this vast throng. 

Finally, the last bow is made, and the procession moves 
on. At a drawbridge a little nearer the city, a glittering 
train is seen approaching. It is Montezuma. Heralds come 
before, carrying golden rods which they hold up before 
the people. You do not look now. No Aztec looks, 
after the heralds pass. All heads are bowed, and eyes 
are bent on the ground. Some even turn away their 
faces, while others prostrate themselves to the earth, 
and hide their countenances there. No one must look 
on the mighty emperor. 

The royal palanquin* is burnished with gold, and borne 
on the shoulders of barefooted nobles. Over it is a 
beautiful canopy of feather-work, bordered with silver 
bangles and sparkling with jewels. 

Cortez orders a halt. He dismounts, and, throwing the 
reins of his horse to a page, approaches the emperor 



* Palanquin is a litter on which a person may be borne. 



Entering the Dream City. 97 

who has left his palanquin, and, supported by two nobles, 
is walking towards Cortez, over tapestry which attend- 
ants have laid on the ground. 

He is forty years of age now, tall and thin, but erect, 
and dignified in appearance. His complexion is pale 
for an Indian, and his countenance has a kindly expres- 
sion. 

He is dressed in a long blue mantle, with a jeweled 
girdle about his waist. The soles of his jeweled sandals 
are of solid gold. His whole person is covered with 
glittering gems, and from his head wave the green 
plumes which signify his royal rank. 

The Spaniard would embrace the Indian emperor, but 
he is prevented from such sacrilege by an Indian prince. 

Simpler and more dignified salutations are exchanged. 
The emperor takes Cortez's hand and leads him into 
the border of his capitol ; the drawbridge is taken up, 
and the Spaniards are fast in the Dream City. 

A long, low palace is assigned to them, so vast that 
each white man can sleep singly in it. 

When they arrive at this house, Montezuma is wait- 
ing to receive them. A jeweled collar is thrown about 
Cortez's neck; a vase of flowers is given him; and the 
gracious monarch says: "This palace belongs to you, 
Malinche* {Ma-linche), and you and your brethren rest 
after your fatigues, for you have need to do so. In a 
little while I will visit you again." 



* Malinche was a term of courtesy, or perhaps endearment. 



98 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Was there ever welcome more gracious or more royal ? 
But was it sincere? 

Montezuma goes away with his brave heart full of 
superstitious fear. 

From the roof of his new home Cortez looks around 
upon the Dream City, and he casts no careless glance. 
He thinks it almost celestial in its beauty ; but pleasure in 
its loveliness is chilled by something creeping over his 
hardened heart, and that something is also fear. No un- 
tutored savages made this fair city, and no untrained mind 
planned those solid stone causeways, so mechanically 
correct. 

He is in the midst of a community thickly populated 
and intelligent. Can he conquer it.'* Ah, he fears. 

The vast temples now come under his eye, and he 
thinks of the hideous gods there so greedy for human 
blood. 

His thought is soon far away from the beauty about 
him. This lovely Dream City is a city of cannibals ; and 
those sacrificial stones, in the towers of the temples, mean 
food, — yes, a feast for man as well as an offering to the 
gods. 

This is all unpleasant to think about; but the 
thought presses itself so closely on Cortez's mind, that 
he feels sure those vast crowds of staring Aztecs 
are looking upon him, merely as a toothsome bit of 
flesh. 

The bold Spanish adventurer gazes on the blue waters, 
which lie on all sides, between him and land. There is 



Entering the Dream City. 99 

no way out of the Dream City except by the causeways, 
and the drawbridges are up on them. 

He with his followers are prisoners, if Montezuma 
chooses to make them such ; and prisoners in the strong- 
hold of cannibalism. It is a case of desperation. Shall 
he be dragged to those sacrificial stones and eaten like 
an animal, or shall he resist with all a white man's cour- 
age and a white man's *arms.'' 

The lips of the Spanish captain close grimly, and the 
fate of Mexico is settled. 

Notes. — Cortez, after living in peace in Mexico for a while, 
became suspicious of Montezuma. He invited him to the palace, 
and made the Mexican emperor prisoner in the home to which he 
assigned Cortez as his guest. It was a bold move and a treach- 
erous one, but was successful ; for it paralyzed the whole people. 
They could do nothing without their emperor. 

It is true that as time wore on, and belief in the immortality of 
the white men wore off, they were in danger. It was a case of do 
or die with Cortez. 

Montezuma was finally killed, and, after a fierce war, Mexico was 
conquered. 



* Compared to the arms of the Spaniards, the Indians may be 
said to have been unarmed. 



Dividing up an Empire. 

Historical Review. — The wicked governor which Spain had 
sent to the Isthmus of Darien thought it wise to get away from 
the settlements on the eastern coast. So after Balboa had made 
a path to the Pacific Ocean, this governor founded Panama on the 
western coast. Reports of vast quantities of gold about the newly 
discovered ocean caused this new town to be settled rapidly. 

Expeditions were sent to explore the southern land where the 
Indians said a great nation possessing vast quantities of gold was 
to be found. All these expeditions failed. 

On the northern coast of South America these exploring parties 
came across an Indian tribe, whose chief was named Biru. They 
called the land in this direction "Biru," which finally came to be 
Peru. 

Pizarro, who was with Balboa when Comogre's son told about 
the land where even pots and ketdes were of gold, had been on 
some of these expeditions ; and when all others seemed to give up 
exploring the mountainous country, he made up his mind to go to 
it in some way. 

When this scene took place, he with Luque and Amalgro had 
been at work for some time getting supplies ready. As fast as 
men came from Spain, who had no money, they agreed to feed and 
care for them until the expedition went, and then take them into 
the expedition. In this way they raised less than a hundred men. 
The men of Panama knew too much of the hardships of other 
attempts to agree to go on this. People in the town joked about 
the three men who were undertaking what was almost sure to 
result in failure. 



M 



LL Panama are ridiculing three inhabitants of 
the place. Jests and sarcasm are tossed back 
and forth, as a scheme which these men are 
about to undertake becomes a topic for dis- 
cussion. 



Dividing up an Empire. loi 

Today a partnership is to be formed for the carrying 
out of this scheme, and the formal contract is to be 
entered upon in church in the most pubHc manner. 

The three men who form the company are queerly 
assorted companions. They are all old men. Not one 
of them has ever given signs of greatness. All that 
any citizen of Panama can say of any one of them is that 
each has performed humble duties fairly well. They 
are very unlike in character, in circumstances, and in 
appearance. 

The most important member of this company of three, 
in the eyes of his fellow townsmen, is the priest and 
schoolmaster Fernando de Luque {Fer-nan'-do de Lti-qiie). 
He is both rich and learned. 

In sharp contrast to this refined priest is a soldier 
whose life has been full of adventure. No one quite 
trusts this soldier. He has been the bloody tool of 
their wicked governor ; and among the cruel crowd of 
men who make up Panama, he is noted for treating the 
Indians a little more cruelly than any other. This man 
has no education. He can neither read nor write, and 
so far as intelligence goes is far below Cortez, the fa- 
mous conqueror of Mexico. To offset all these bad things, 
it is a pleasure to say that he is absolutely brave. No 
danger can daunt his resistless courage; no suffering can 
turn him back. This is Captain Francisco Pizarro. 

The third is a different type of man from either of 
the others. He is half soldier, half adventurer, waiting 
tor anything to turn up. He is hot-headed, but social ; 



I02 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

and in direct contrast to Pizarro's cold lack of honor, is 
inclined to be generous and fair. Like Pizarro, he is 
absolutely unschooled, and can neither read nor write 
his own name, which is Diego de Amalgro {Di-c-go de 
A-mal-gro). Many of the enlisted men have already 
wended their way to the church, and the crowd has 
followed them to the sacred place. 

The clean shaven, refined looking priest soon appears, 
accompanied by a jiotary. Stolid, coarse, black whis- 
kered Pizarro is close behind ; and Amalgro, a great 
shambling creature with fiery red hair and a repulsively 
homely countenance, which is barely rescued from the 
hideous by a genial smile, is with him. 

In spite of his unattractive appearance, it is easy to 
see that this last member of the firm is the most popular 
of the three. It is he who has coaxed those men in 
front to join his fortunes in this perilous enterprise, and 
it is he who will always get nearest to the heart of the 
looker on. 

Solemn mass is celebrated, and then Father Luque 
outlines the purpose of the expedition in a short talk. 
They will discover the land of gold and hold it for the 
church, says the priest ; and then the binding contract 
is read. . 

The three men agree to share all profits equally ; and 
each one of them binds himself to be true to the others, 
neither deserting nor betraying them. Luque is to 
remain at Panama as agent and treasurer. The influ- 
ence he possesses with the government is to be used 
for the enterprise. 



Dividing up an Empire. 103 

Pizarro is to command the expedition, and go forth to 
seek what he can find. Amalgro is to be a means of 
communication between the two. He will go and come 
with supplies. 

The priest signs the document in the presence of the 
vast crowd and the notary. Pizarro, unable to write 
the name that will remain forever on the pages of 
history, makes his mark. Amalgro does the same. 

To make the ag-reement more solemn, the sacrament 
now is administered to the three men, — P'ather Luque 
partaking first, and then giving to his partners in the 
company. 

No wonder the people mocked, — murderers entering 
upon their awful work with solemn prayer ; robbers, 
setting out to plunder, trying to fling the sacred mantle 
of religion over their deeds ! The world is as little im- 
pressed as were the people of Panama by these outward 
signs, but it has charity; for it knows now that the men 
were forced to commit some of the awful crimes which 
are recorded of them in Peru. The jeering crowd go 
out calling the priest ''Fernando el loco" (Fernando 
the madman). All believe that this is but one more 
rash attempt, which will end in starving half the men. 
That a great conquest has been entered upon, never 
comes into the mind of any citizen of Panama. The 
black bearded soldier looks to them more like a free- 
booter than one who is destined to great place in the 
world's records; and Amalgro is not much above a clown 
in their estimation. 



I04 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

They are not far wrong. Pizarro stands for a con- 
queror ; but history's tale is the tale of the greatest rob- 
ber the world has known. 

What would the people in that church have said, 
what would the three partners themselves have said, if 
some all-knowing voice had announced, when they signed 
the agreement to divide the profits equally, " You are 
dividing a great empire among three men".-* 



Note. — They had been planning this expedition for about two 
years. Pizarro had made some money by raising cattle. Amalgro 
had been at work influencing men to go with them, and the ships 
were being made ready. It is said that Father de Luque was 
merely the agent of several men who wished to invest some money 
in the enterprise. 



A Line of Sand. 

Historical Review. — Pizarro had coasted along what is now 
called South America, trying to find a landing place. After a 
number of adventures and battles, he stopped on the island of 
Gollo and sent for supplies. 

Amalgro was expected daily from Panama with men and sup- 
plies. After the men were almost at death's point with starvation, 
a ship appeared. Amalgro, the partner of Pizarro, was not in 
command of it. The governor of Panama had sent officials to 
bring back all who would come. He had no faith in their success. 
It was a bitter blow to Pizarro, and he took desperate chances in 
drawing that line of sand. 

TATTERED and forlorn crowd greets an in- 
coming ship, on the island of Gollo. 

Faces over which the skin has dried, and 
*^ wrinkled with hunger, or grey spotted with 
wasting disease, grow rapturous as food and help draws 
near. 

Finding and plundering that land of gold presents 
obstacles which none but the strongest and bravest can 
face. 

Pizarro' s joy at first is as great as that of his men; 
but the joy is turned to disappointment. No recruits 
have come. Amalgro has not come. The governor of 
Panama is distrustful of the scheme, and, instead of 




io6 Vivid Scenes in American Historv. 

adding to the little band, has sent an agent to bring 
back all the men who will return. 

It is a severe blow to the bold plunderer; but oppo- 
sition only makes him more determined. Pizarro will 
not flinch. Reports that a mighty empire, over the 
water on the mainland, and rich as fabled Cathay, have 
now become almost a certainty. 

He does not know the new governor. To go back to 
Panama means certain poverty, perhaps disgrace and 
imprisonment. 

The strong, coarse nature of the man is up in arms. 
He will not return. He has little to lose, and perhaps 
much to gain ; but, let the outcome be triumph or fail- 
ure, he will cast his lot in the new land ; it shall hence- 
forth be his home. 

Letters from his two partners, Amalgro and Luque, 
are handed him. He cannot read them, and must call 
on one of his trusty soldiers to do it for him. The let- 
ters strengthen his already firm resolve. " Keep on," 
advise the partners, "and we will use every influence to 
get help to you." 

Stepping in front of his men, he tells them that the 
gfovernor has sent to have them all return to Panama. 
With blunt eloquence, he recalls the added proofs that 
a great, rich empire is near, and, drawing his sword, he 
traces a line in the sand from east to west. 

The soldiers are looking at that slender line and at 
their old commander. The legal representative of the 
government also looks on curiously. Not a word is 



A Line of Sand. 107 

spoken until the rugged warrior stretches the naked 
blade towards the south, and then he speaks : 

'' Friends and comrades, on that side is toil, and hun- 
ger, and nakedness, drenching storms, desertion, and 
death ; on this side, ease and pleasure. There lies Peru, 
with its riches ; here Panama and poverty. Choose each 
man what best becomes a brave Castilian. For my part, 
I go to the south." So saying, he steps over the line. 

There is a moment's pause. The old captain stands 
alone, his rugged face scarred with suffering, but grim 
and determined. Men glance at one another. Peru 
with its reported wealth floats through their minds ; but 
the dreary island, swept by storms that drench them 
daily, blasted by lightning that makes them shrink, and 
lacking all things to sustain life, is too forlorn to hold 
most of these half-starved men. 

The brave old pilot Ruiz does not hesitate. He steps 
over the line, and fifteen others, whose spirits nothing 
can crush, follow. The rest file into the ship. 

Against the command of a timid government, against 
the universal shrinking of all mankind from hardship, 
determined Pizarro and those sixteen men* have taken 
a stand. 

Their object is not noble; the world will ever shrink 
from their bloody hands ; but the supreme bravery of 
men who could face these almost superhuman obstacles 
will be admired as among the bravest deeds of man. 



* Spain ennobled all who stepped over that line and followed 
Pizarro to Peru. 



A Garden Party in Peru. 

Historical Review. — Among other places where Pizarro 
landed when he sailed south to Tumbez, was one he called Santa 
Cruz. An Indian princess lived here, who was delighted with the 
white strangers. She invited them to visit her when they returned. 
and Pizarro promised to do so. 

After his reception in Tumbez and explorations south of that 
place, he resolved to return to Panama and sail for Spain, to lay 
his discovery before the king and beg royal assistance. His 
vessel had returned to this point when the incident described took 
place. 

"pHERE is excitement in the little Indian village. 
^ Every small thatched house is trying to look its 
prettiest, and the inhabitants of these humble 
homes chat and laugh as they paint their faces, 
black their teeth, and try to look fine for some great 
event. 

The great lady of the village is to entertain some won- 
derful white strangers who have come in an enormous 
canoe from far away. 

These humble folk hardly think the marvelous 
strangers mortal ; but their princess is a woman of rare 
good sense. She laughs at the fair bearded creatures 
being other than mere men. 



A Garden Party in Peru. 109 

Great preparations are going on. Today this might 
be called Arbor Town, for many beautiful little arbors, 
formed by broad thick branches, dot not only the great 
lady's own grounds but the small public square. 

Leaves and branches are but the framework of these 
fairy bowers. Brilliant flowers and sweet scented 
shrubs are so thickly twined among the twigs that a 
wall of leaf and flowers is formed. 

Low tables covered with broad leaves and delicious 
fruits and vegetables are placed in each bower, while 
mats for guests to sit on are placed about the sides. 

The feast bowers are now prepared; the feast is 
ready; the people are clad in their best, with nose, and 
ear, and arm and ankle trinkets all in place. 

The princess orders the boats, and with many atten- 
dants sets out to visit the ships of the strangers in 
the bay. 

The bearded captain receives this lady with great 
courtesy and respect. 

She invites him and his men to return her visit im- 
mediately, and tells him she will send important persons 
to the ship as hostages. 

Gallantly Pizarro tells her that hostages are not 
necessary; he is not afraid to accept her invitation. 

The princess returns to receive her guests. The 
whole village is ready, too. 

When the swarthy Spaniards land, they are met by 
the smiling dusky people who are decked out in flowers, 
which they present to the visitors, in quantities. 



no Vivid Scenes in American History. 

Messengers are ready to escort each Spanish soldier 
to a bower, where the food is served by most attentive 
natives. 

When the dainty feast is done, the princess invites 
her guests to see some dancing. Whole companies of 
young men and women dance to their own songs and 
simple instruments, and with a slow swaying motion. 

The Indians are supple of form and graceful in 
motion ; but Pizarro's thoughts are not on the dark 
swaying forms. The only concern of this cold, cruel 
man is how to get all the gold these people have. 

Before taking leave of his hostess he makes a speech. 
He tells them that he is captain of the greatest king on 
earth, and asks permission to raise the banner of Cas- 
tile, which he has brought with him, thus showing that 
they transferred their allegiance to his sovereign.* 

They do not understand him. Probably they think 
it is his share in the festivities of the day, and laughing 
they plant the banner as he desires. With this sly trick 
he pays them for their hospitality and returns to his 
ship, leaving the village of fairy feast halls behind. 



* Pizarro went through this ceremony in every place in Peru. 
The natives did not know they were renouncing their own nation. 




I am Keeping a Fast. 

WONDERFUL scene took place in a camp in 
the year 1532. It looked, at a distance, like 
the camp of any civilized European army, and 
was a beautiful picture. 

Thousands of white tents stretched far over the 
green slope of a lofty mountain plain. There were 
sentinels pacing, and there were fortifications to ward 
off the enemy. So far the camp would seem familiar to 
any European soldier of that time ; but closer view 
showed some things lacking that would be prominent in 
a civilized camp. 

No cannon were planted on the breastworks ; no guns 
were stacked in the camp streets ; and neither mules 
nor horses w^ere dragging loads of stores. 

This was no European camp ; it was not even a camp 
of civilized people. The strange part of it all was that 
it should be so much like one. This camp was situated 
on a lofty plain of the Andes Mountains, in the hereto- 
fore unknown wilds of the New World. 

The thousands of soldiers in those white tents 
were not white men, but smooth-faced, copper-colored 
Indians. 

A great surprise awaited those dusky warriors on 



112 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

that autumn day of long ago. They were to se-e things 
stranger than their wildest imagination had ever 
pictured. 

It had been whispered that the children of the Great 
Sun, which they worshiped as God, were fair ; but they 
did not dream that mere mortals existed with soft, fair 
skin. 

Their sheep or goat (the llama) was the largest 
animal they knew. Their eyes had never rested on the 
beautiful, swift-going horse ; and that a man could 
make a lower animal bear him over the earth, was some- 
thing they did not understand. These Indians allowed 
the llama {Id' ma) to bear only very light burdens. 

This camp differed from other camps in another 
important way. In its center was a great square, and 
something which looked like a small village was built up 
there. Over everything else in that open space, a great 
building stood out prominently. It was gaily painted, 
and surrounded by balconies. 

A glance was sufficient to show that the gay building 
was not intended for officers' quarters. Some one more 
important than a commanding general lived in that 
camp palace. 

Sentinels were thick about it ; and the long lines of 
tents stretching in front, behind, and on each side 
so protectingly, told plainly that one whose life was 
precious to the nation was in that square. 

Women, too, were wandering about in it, or sitting 
on the balconies of the palace as if quite at home. 



I Am Keeping a Fast. 113 

A stone reservoir in front contained water for hot and 
cold baths, and flowers in pots added to the beauty of 
the camp village. 

Whoever lived so luxuriously in the midst of this 
mighty army must be one of extraordinary authority, 
for he had brought his great household with him, on to 
the field of battle itself. Only the resources of a nation 
could transport such luxury. There was but one in Peru 
who could indulge in it, and that was the all-powerful 
inca (emperor) himself. 

Both men and women were beautifully dressed in 
that camp court Their robes were richly colored, and 
so fine that they seemed silky. Princes and princesses, 
priests and nobles, mingled with officers of the army in 
surrounding the inca. 

Today this dreaded inca was expecting something. 
He had summoned his great officials and seated himself 
on a cushion in front of an open grassy lawn. He sat 
there motionless for a long time. 

Suddenly there was commotion in camp. Warriors 
were starting from their tents, and staring at strange 
creatures which galloped swiftly in from the mountain 
roads, and, disdaining the wooden bridge which spanned 
it, swam the rushing mountain river below the camp. . 

Unearthly seemed those creatures to the bewildered 
Indians. The dark warriors had never seen the like 
before. The things appeared to them to be a combina- 
tion of man and beast, which moved with the swiftness 
of the wind. 



114 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

They gazed at the fair skin and bearded faces of the 
man part. The monster, four-legged part puzzled them 
sorely. Surely there was a complete man and a com- 
plete animal in each of the apparitions. In some way 
the man and animal appeared to be one creature. The 
clothes were as astonishing as the creatures themselves. 
They flashed in the light, and seemed to be made up of 
glittering material new to them.* 

The wonderful visitants halted on the edge of the 
inca's camp, and a whisper went round: 

''The white strangers — the children of the Sun ! " 

Every dark warrior breathed easier to see that at least 
one mortal was with this company of marvelous visitors. 
They saw an Indian youth, who came forward to ask 
where the inca could be found. 

A soldier pointed to the great square, and the Indian 
boy ran back to tell the handsome, young white cap- 
tain, who left most of his train where it had halted, 
and, with a few companions, dashed swiftly past long 
lines of Peruvian tents, directly to that central court. 

What a dashing, clanking, glittering train it was to 
those softly stepping Indians ! How the armor of the 
Spanish invaders gleamed ! How the splendid trappings 
of their horses shone ! 

In the square, men and women were also gazing in 
the direction of the strange visitors. 

It was not difficult to pick out the inca. He was 



* Steel armor. The Peruvians had never seen steel. 



I am Keeping a Fast. 1 1 5 

sitting motionless on a cushion, with his legs crossed; 
and he had been sitting thus for hours. 
• There was nothing splendid about his dress. The 
attendant nobles were more richly clad ; but about his 
dark forehead was the crimson fringe worn by only one 
in that vast empire, and that one the inca of Peru. 
It was the worldly symbol of boundless power, and the 
sacred symbol of one esteemed with the reverence of a 
god. 

News of the coming of the Spaniards had reached 
the inca, and as De Soto and his attendants halted a few 
paces in front of the great monarch, Peruvian nobles 
began to surround their sovereign. 

The young Spanish captain did not dismount. He 
made a low bow and said : 

" I come from the commander of the white men. He 
wishes me to tell you that we have arrived in Caxamalca 
{Casli-a-mal'-ca). We are subjects of a mighty prince, 
who lives over the sea. We have heard of your great 
victories, and have been sent by the king of Spain to 
deliver you from the power of the devil. Our captain 
invites you to visit him." 

The inca had never heard of the king of Spain 
before ; he had never heard of the devil ; so, naturally, 
politics and religion became mixed in his mind. The 
Indian interpreter of the white men translated De Soto's 
fine speech so absurdly that the Peruvian emperor did 
not know whether the devil they threatened him with 
so sorely was king of Spain or of some other white 



ii6 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

men's country, ready to do him harm. He made no 
reply. 

De Soto waited for an answer, and it was a long, long 
wait. The inca not only remained absolutely silent, 
but sat like a statue of bronze, with no sign that he 
ever intended to reply. His eyes were on the ground ; 
not a muscle of his face moved ; and there was not the 
least sign that he heard a word of the strange, white 
visitor's speech. 

Finally one of the Peruvian nobles raised his eyes 
and said something which the Indian youth, Filipillo 
{Fe-lip-illo), translated into, " It is well." 

No further conversation was attempted by the Peru- 
vians. All stood still about the immovable emperor, 
and the silence was an evident hint to the Spaniards 
that it was time to go. 

They did not go, however, and still waited for a word 
from the rigid lips of the inca. They were allowed to 
wait, and evidently would be to endless time. It be- 
came embarrassing, and the polite young captain, 
restraining his annoyance, courteously asked : 

''Will your majesty not speak to us yourself, and tell 
us what is your pleasure } " 

The shrewd inca could not keep up the farce of a 
dumb show with gravity any longer. A ghost of a 
smile escaped and flitted over his face, as he spoke : 

"Tell your captain that I am keeping a fast which 
will end tomorrow morning ; I will then visit him with 
my chieftains. In the meantime, let him occupy the 



I am Keeping a Fast. 117 

public buildings on the square, and no other, till I come, 
when I will order what shall be done." 

De Soto's keen eyes saw that the inca's were 
fastened curiously on his horse. The captain was 
superbly mounted, and a fine horseman. 

Whether his object was to show off, or whether to 
stir that bronze creature on the cushion to some show 
of life, no one but himself could know ; but, when the 
inca ended his speech, De Soto bowed low, and, wheel- 
ing his horse about, dashed over the plain at furious 
speed, and, wheeling back, put his swift charger through 
every graceful movement of which the animal was cap- 
able. At last he stopped the rushing horse so abruptly 
that he reared on his hind feet, directly in front of the 
inca. 

Foam from the panting steed splashed the mighty 
monarch's clothes ; but he still sat like a bronze image, 
as if nothing was happening, nor ever could happen. 

Not so the Indian soldiers. Some of them ran in 
terror, and then stopped in greater terror ; for they 
knew that death would be the punishment for cowardice 
before these strangers. 

As soon as De Soto finished showing off, signs of 
hospitality began to appear. The Spaniards refused 
food, but accepted the perfumed wine which was brought 
by dark-eyed Indian princesses in golden cups.* 

Their greedy eyes fastened on the golden cups and 



*The wine was made from the juice of fruits. 



1 1 8 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

the golden ornaments which abounded on every hand. 
They quaffed the wine, bent low in the saddle, and with 
this respectful good-by to the stiff inca they galloped 
off. 

There was a tale to tell Pizarro. The great wealth 
of Peru had not been overstated ; but that mountain 
camp, with its vast hordes of soldiers, was not a pleas- 
ant thing for that handful of white adventurers to think 
about. Every white tent was a threat and a reminder 
that they were fast in the grasp of a powerful enemy. 

The Indian monarch they had come to rob was far 
more powerful then they supposed. 

Note. — After many hardships Pizarro finally landed in Peru, 
and, sometimes fighting and sometimes persuading the people to 
receive him and give him food, had advanced to within easy journey 
of the camp of the inca. The journey of the invaders had been 
up the steep mountains of Peru, across their high plains, up other 
mountains, until they came to Caxamalca {Cash-a-nial'-ca), thou- 
sands of feet above the blue South Sea, as they called the Pacific 
Ocean. The inca had known all about these white visitors since 
they landed. 

He was at war with his brother, who also claimed the throne ; 
so the army was not in the field to protect the empire from those 
eighty white men. 



A Twilight Scene. 

"*VERY hour of that long, anxious night had been 
"4"^ an hour of anxious waiting and watching, and 
\ every hour of the still longer day which followed, 

' was heavy with suspense to the white men at 

Caxamalca {Cash-a-maV-ca). 

The inca's words, *'I will visit you tomorrow. I 
will visit you tomorrow," had rung in their ears like a 
funeral knell. What was his visit to mean to them.?* 
They looked at their little band of less than two hun- 
dred and thought of the vast army encamped on that 
mountain slope ten miles away. 

Again and again, those who had visited the camp of 
the inca with De Soto were obliged to satisfy their com- 
rades with every detail of their adventure. Emphati- 
cally, these soldiers, of much experience, declared that 
the Peruvian army was no vast horde of untrained sav- 
ages, but a great body of troops well drilled in the use 
of their simple weapons, — the lance, the bow, and the 
sling. 

Attempts to resist such numbers seemed fool-hardy ; 



*The Spaniards were troubled when they found that the Inca's 
army was so near, and its size disturbed them. 



I20 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

but how could these reckless adventurers escape now? 
Every mountain pass which led from these lofty plains 
was guarded by the inca. If he proved unfriendly, Piz- 
arro's band could never descend to the lowlands and 
gain their boats on the coast. These Spanish plunder- 
ers had slipped their necks into a noose. They were 
fast in the clutches of Peru's mighty emperor. 

Each man looked at his weapons for comfort. If the 
inca meant them harm,* those swords and guns were all 
that stood between them and an awful fate. 

Hope did not die in one sturdy heart. Pizarro recog- 
nized the peril of his little army, and his slow wit, f 
sharpened by necessity, devised a scheme. He called 
his men together and told them that one little crevice 
seemed to open in the solid wall of danger which appeared 
to surround them. He recalled the deed of daring Cortez, 
in capturing the emperor of Mexico. This Peruvian 
emperor was worshiped as a god, as well as revered as a 
ruler. Peruvians would be helpless without their chief ; 
so, by fair means or foul, the inca must be captured. J 



* All talk between Pizarro and the inca had been friendly. The 
Spaniard pretended he had come to help the inca, who was at war 
with his half brother, rightful heir to the Peruvian throne. 

t Pizarro was far beneath Cortez intellectually. His scheme of 
capturing the inca was not original. The chief characteristic of 
the man was a sort of bull-dog bravery. 

J Experience had taught them this: when a chief of any In- 
dian tribe was held as hostage, the people seemed helpless. If he 
were killed, a new chief was chosen, and the people relied on him. 
That is why the inca was not killed at first. 



A Twilight Scene. 121 

"Caxamalca was a little town nestling under the shadow 
of a lofty peak of the Andes. It contained about two 
thousand inhabitants, who fled when the Spaniards came 
to take possession. In its center was a large square, bor- 
dering two sides of which was a long, low range of build- 
ings ; while on a hill which loomed upon the other side 
rose a stone fortress. Stairs led to this fortress, and a 
high wall guarded the buildings in front. The Spaniards 
had taken quarters in the buildings behind those fort- 
like walls. 

After the captain's encouraging speech, preparations 
to receive their distinguished visitor began, and strange 
hospitality was in preparation. Two small cannon were 
planted on the fort, with gunners at their posts ; infan- 
try was placed at the heads of the streets near the square; 
while cavalry hid behind the wall, ready to mount at an 
instant's notice. Pizarro, with twenty men, waited in his 
own apartment. 

The long night of sleepless watching finally ended. 
Saturday morning came, and with it a message from the 
inca, saying that he would come today, and come with a 
large number of unarmed * attendants. No hour was 
named for his arrival; so the Spaniards had nothing to do 
but to continue watching and waiting. It was tedious 
work, and again Pizarro was obliged to strengthen the 
hearts of his men. 

'^You are not strong in numbers, so make a fortress 

* The inca promised Pizarro that he would not come with armed 
attendants. 



T22 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

of your heart. There are five hundred Indians to one 
Christian; but God will fight on our side," were the rough 
captain's reassuring words. 

Noon came, and with it something to see. The inca 
was moving his great camp to the very outskirts of 
Caxamalca, and soon, in full view of the Spaniards, a vast 
city of white tents stretched out. Was that camp a 
threat .? The hands of the Spaniards grasped their 
weapons more tightly. 

Each moment of that ever to be remembered after- 
noon was weighty with expectation. Night was coming 
on ; and the hours of darkness were favorite hours for 
Indian attacks. Pizarro grew anxious, and at five o'clock, 
unable to bear the suspense longer, sent a polite message 
to tell the inca that supper was waiting for him. Word 
came back that the inca was on the way. 

Supper waiting } Ay, a supper at which death was 
principal guest— a supper where shot and saber cuts 
were served as dainties ! 

The sun, which the Peruvians worshiped, had set on 
this frosty November evening, and twilight was coming 
on, when the train of the Indian emperor was seen 
approaching. A solitary sentinel paced the great square 
of Caxamalca, and not another human being could be seen 
on it. Was there anything in this lonely twilight scene 
for a great emperor, with a vast army at hand, to fear } 

A rosy glow from the sinking sun stole over the 
mountain and lighted the hard, smooth road well enough 
to show that a glittering train accompanied the emperor. 



A Twilight Scene. 123 

Foot-soldiers, in checkered livery, swept ahead and 
cleared a way ; behind them was a long procession of 
dancers and singers ; next came three hundred nobles in 
dark blue tunics, with snow white garments underneath. 
On the heads of these were crowns of gold or silver ; 
while golden armor protected their breasts. 

The glittering, jewel-decked litter * of the emperor 
was borne in the midst of this richly dressed crowd. 
Barefooted princes carried it on their shoulders, and 
felt honored that they were permitted to do so. Two 
others, probably great princes, were borne on two other 
litters, and two distinguished officials of state were 
carried in hammocks behind the inca's golden throne. 
In the rear were long columns of common soldiers. 

On they came to the peaceful-looking square. Their 
songs floated through the evening air to the ears of the 
hidden Spaniards. Sharp Indian eyes saw but one 
lonely figure, and sharp Indian ears heard the tramp 
of but one pair of feet. They could sing and dance 
most merrily, with nothing more dangerous than this to 
frighten them. 

In the center of the square, the inca ordered a halt. 
As he did so, two other figures issued from one of the 
low gates of the wall. One was grey-robed, and the 
other the little Indian interpreter, Fillipillo. 

The pale, grey-robed man was not a soldier. The 
inca knew that ; but the Indian monarch was puzzled by 
the man's appearance and dress. He had seen no white 



* Raised seat on which he was carried. 



124 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

man so appareled before. In one hand, this advancing 
figure carried a cross ; in the other, a strange thing made 
of leather.* The curiosity of the emperor was excited. 
''What manner of man is this.'^" he inquired. 
"That is the white man's captain of talk," j- was the 
answer. 

The "captain of talk" stopped in front of the royal 
litter, and saluted the emperor with deep respect. In 
the waning light the inca stared as if he would discover 
for himself what kind of man this grey-robed " captain of 
talk" happened to be; and, making up his mind that 
this new sort of white man must be of some importance, 
politely offered him a chair. 

The chair was as politely declined, and the " captain of 
talk" began a speech. He explained the doctrines of the 
Christian Church, which mischievous Fillipillo translated 
as he pleased. When the good for nothing fellow did 
not comprehend the learned theology, he substituted any 
foolish thing which came into his head. 

" We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and 
God the Holy Ghost, one God in three," solemnly de- 
clared the man in the grey robe. 

"The Christians believe in three Gods and one God, 
and that makes four Gods," translated Fillipillo, and the 
inca shook his dusky head and said, — 

"The Christians have more gods than the Peruvians, 
for we worship but one supreme God." 



* A Bible. The Inca had never seen a book before. 
t Preacher or priest. 



A Twilight Scene. 125 

''You must accept Christianity, acknowledge the pope, 
and swear allegiance to Charles V. of Spain, or God will 
harden their hearts as he did Pharaoh's, and you will be 
punished," asserted the priest. Just how Fillipillo trans- 
lated this is not known ; but certainly in a way to mix 
earthly rulers with heavenly powers in the inca's mind, and 
the ''captain of talk" kept on with a long, long harangue 
which at last tired the inca. His dark face clouded 
with impatience, which the dim light did not conceal, 
and he bluntly wanted to know of the priest how he got 
his news. 

It was an honest request, and the priest handed his 
Bible to the great ruler. The inca took it, and put it 
to his ear. No message came to him from gods, or popes, 
or kings ; and, vexed and insulted, the emperor tried 
to unclasp this reputed messenger from the gods of the 
white men. He was not successful, and the priest 
stepped forward to help ; but this angered the inca. He 
thought such familiarity mere impertinence; and added to 
the stern warnings of the "captain of talk" was more 
than the mighty Indian emperor was disposed to bear. 
He pushed the grey-robed man away with violence, and, 
tearing off its clasp, flung the — to him — silent Bible to 
the ground in anger.* 

Their was a cry from the priest, f and, in another 
instant, the battle call of the Spaniards, " Santiago! San- 



*Some historians dispute this, but it is probably true. 

t The cry from the priest was a signal for attack. This priest 
seemed to lack the clear sense which the priest who accompanied 
Cortez always showed. 



126 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

tiago!" was ringing through the quiet square with such 
force that it came back from the mountains in echoes. 

Confusion now reigned supreme. Bells had been 
tied to the horses,* and they jingled and clanged, 
horses- stamped and neighed, cannon boomed, and men 
yelled like fiends. With drawn swords, Pizarro and his 
twenty attendants rushed directly to the litter of the 
inca. Cavalry charged right and left on his followers, 
while the infantry came up in the rear with guns aimed 
into the Indian ranks. 

The swords of Pizarro and his special attendants 
were not drawn to harm the inca. To take the po- 
tentate alive was the object of the Spanish captain; but 
those twenty-one swords found bloody work to do. 

At first the unarmed f attendants of the inca fought 
bravely to rescue their emperor ; but when these poor 
Indians saw their companions, in great numbers, cut down 
by Spanish swords, or fall dead from mysterious thunder- 
bolts hurled by white men, they thought heaven as well 
as earth was leagued against them, and fled in terror. 

The battle lasted scarcely thirty minutes, yet twilight 
shadows never covered a bloodier scene. Dead and 
dying Indians lay thick J on the grass in the square of 



* The bells had been tied on to add to the confusion. The 
Spaniards made all the noise they could. 

t The soldiers of the Inca came without lances, because he 
promised not to bring armed attendants. It is said they'had stones 
concealed about their persons. 

J There is dispute as to the number slain at Caxamalca. It 
ranges from six hundred to ten thousand. 



A Twilight Scene. 127 

Caxamalca, while the emperor, whose slighest word was 
law in this vast land, was borne a prisoner to the 
apartnients of Pizarro. 

Supper was actually waiting there, and the inca sat 
down to the table with the white captain. Could either 
of the two men eat ? Did the great number of cold, 
stiff forms on the square outside, affect the appetite of 
the brutal conqueror ? History does not tell us. We 
must guess about the supper of the inca and Pizarro, 
but as those twilight shadows deepened into dark, we 
know that power had been wrested from one nation and 
given to another. P'or centuries, perhaps forever, there 
will be no further greatness for the red man. 



Writing a Name — America. 



\ 



J ^HERE is nothing very thrilling in a scene which 
'^ portrays the simple act of writing a name. How- 



ever, the miportance of the name inscribed on 

'^ one occasion makes the tracing of every line of 
it most interesting. 

There has been much surprise that another — Colum- 
bia — instead of this name was not written, and we 
carry ourselves back to that far, strange time, out of 
curiosity to find out the truth about this question. To 
see this name written, a journey is necessary. 

Among the mountains of Lorraine, not far from the 
city of Strassburg, is a small town named Sainte Die 
{Sant De'-d ). To step back from 1 898 to 1 507 is to step 
into another world. It is a world without cars, a world 
without telegraph, a world without daily newspapers ; 
therefore it is a world one part of which is not well 
informed about the others, or it is a world without news. 
It is a very quiet world compared to this world of the 
nineteenth century. 

Of all sleepy places in this old-tinie, slow world 
Saint Die is the sleepiest. There are no buildings of 



Writing a Name — America. 129 

note except the grey walls of a university, and the 
home of the reigning cluke. 

However, that university is not so deep in slumberous 
quiet as it appears. Come under the low stone en- 
trance, up some stone steps, and enter a little room. 
Two bright-faced young men are at work here on 
maps and charts. They are very wide awake young 
men, and their conversation shows that their chief 
interest at present is in the new land which has been 
lately discovered far across the Atlantic Ocean. 

There is wide interest in this new land. Every scrap 
printed about it is read eagerly ; people even sit up all 
night to finish accounts of thrilling adventures across 
the sea. 

News travels slowly in these times, and names get 
mixed from mouth to mouth reports. Columbus is not 
much of a writer, and published matter about the most 
marvelous discovery of all time is scarce. 

These young men have more than a romantic or gen- 
eral interest in the new world. They are busy remaking 
old maps, and every scrap of written information about 
the nevv^ discovery is of greatest interest to them. 

One of them has been fortunate enough to meet 
Americus Vespucius *( Ves-pu'-cius). This is a scholarly 



* Americus Vespucius seems to have been a manbodi respected 
and honored. 

The map on which his name appeared first was not at all the 
America of today ; it was simply the part he supposed he had dis- 
covered --a small continent. 



130 Vivid Scenes in American History. 

gentleman who made a voyage of discovery, and not 
only wrote a full account of it, but made some rude 
maps of the mainland he supposed he had discovered. 

This written account is just what the young scholars 
need. They draw a map of a small continent lying off 
Asia, and their great concern is to calculate the latitude 
and longitute of its boundaries. 

The name is a matter about which they concern them- 
selves little. They are not historians ; they have little 
personal interest in Columbus ; and Spain is not their 
country. 

Here is newly discovered land to be put on the 
map. They have placed it where they think it belongs. 
The islands discovered by Columbus are all on the same 
map. The names he gave them have been put down, 
and now the little continent further on must be lettered 
with a name. 

The name of the discoverer of the new land is a 
good one ; so the pen is taken, and America is engraved 
upon the map. 

To those who know the real size of the land it repre- 
sents, this is a funny little map. It shows that neither 
the discoverer nor the map-maker dreamed of its real 
proportions. 

As time goes on and discoveries continue, this map, 
made in 1507 in Sainte Die, will have to be enlarged. 
Two great continents, bounded by vast oceans, are its 
only limit ; but map-making is one profession and nam- 
ing continents another, hence geographers do not bother 
to change the pleasant name. 



Writing a Name — America. 131 

America continues to be put on the maps until jt 
becomes forever the name of the New World. 

Notes. It must not be lost sight of that Cabot was undoubt- 
edly the first discoverer of the mainland. 

Columbus did not find the mainland until afterwards. He dis- 
covered the islands of the West Indies and northern part of South 
America, near the mouth of the Orinoco. 

To Columbus all honor is due : he led the way ; afterwards it 
was easy for others to follow. 



